There will be one flock, one shepherd

Take My Life

2011-10-03T07:02:00.000-07:00

It was such a joy for Jaron and I to select the Scripture and hymns to be read and sung at our wedding. The final hymn that we sung, once we exchanged vows, as our minds were looking to our future together as husband and wife, was Take My Life, And Let It Be... our prayer for our lives together.

Take My Life, And Let It Be

Words: Frances R. Havergal (1836-1879)

Music: Henri A. C. Malan (1787-1864); harm. Lowell Mason(1792-1872), Public Domain

O, Lord, I pray today, that this would be true in our lives.

Lucky I'm in love with my best friend

2011-05-17T10:25:00.000-07:00

No Reason to Pretend

2010-09-22T20:36:00.000-07:00

We come around

A circle meets

At last I feel I'm closer to beginning

A gentle word

A quiet heart

A soul that stirs another one to start

You'll never know dear how much you breathe

Strength and courage into me

And as the day comes closer to an end

I find no reason to pretend

When morning comes

You'll doubtless be

Awake without a worry I can see

You open up

Clearness comes

A look divides the clouds I see the sun

You'll never know dear how much you breathe

Strength and courage into me

And as the day comes closer to the end

I find no reason to pretend

By Aaron Sprinkle

I just love these lyrics.

We love because He first loved us - Six weeks in Haiti

2010-08-11T21:35:00.000-07:00

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:16-18)

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1 John 4:7-11)

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because he is so also are we in this world.
(1 John 4:15-17)

Prayers as I leave for Haiti

2010-06-20T00:29:00.000-07:00

I'm about to leave the country to spend 6 weeks in Haiti!!!! My game-plan is: I board a flight to Miami, FL in less than 6 hours to meet my teammates and start planning, praying, and casting vision for our time together in Haiti. We'll fly together to Haiti with 45 students & staff. I'll be in-country June 22-July 11 with Team 2, then I'll return to Miami, FL to debrief with my team while simultaneously meeting my new team (Team 3, comprised of 65 students & staff) who I will return to Haiti with July 13-August 1.

Let's vote how out-of-my-comfort-zone (can't do this in my own strength) this trip is.
1) I've never been out of the country for this long before
2) I've never been to a third world country before
3) I only know one other person going on the trip with me
4) I've never lived in a tent on a roof before
These & soooo many other reasons are why I'm pumped to trust God in HUGE ways and why I'm posting prayer requests to ask for your partnership in prayer!

Please join me in praying...

Team 1 is returning from Haiti tomorrow morning, and we will overlap during debriefing/briefing in Miami, FL for about 36 hours. Pray that we can gain wisdom and insight from the little time we spend with them. Pray that we will faithfully continue what Team 1 has started in so-much as their work glorified the Lord, and pray that we will correct and avoid any faithlessness or sin that tainted their work. Also, thank God that 45 students & staff have gone before us, serving the Lord and preparing the way for us!

Pray for Team 2 to come-together as one body and one family. We are comprised of 10 staff and 35 students from college campuses all around the country. Almost no one has met prior to this trip, so pray that our unity will be instant and strong. Pray against lies, isolation and loneliness as we spend three weeks in Haiti together.

Join me in my urgent prayers for wisdom within our team members, and especially for our team leaders. We do not have all the answers and plans formulated. We are going to serve, to rebuild the nation of Haiti with the Haitians. Pray that God will give us wisdom in assessing problems, pain and needs so that we can correctly seek progress and solutions. Pray that He will grant us wisdom in how/where to spend our days. Pray that we will seek God's direction and truth. Pray that we will be humble enough to admit every day that our worldly wisdom will not suffice in helping the nation of Haiti -- we are in desperate need of God's wisdom.

And for me personally, please pray that I will abide in Christ, walking in step with the Spirit and bearing the fruit of the Spirit. Pray that God will instantly convict me of walking in my flesh and empower me to walk in His Spirit. Pray that God will be glorified through me; that He will get all the glory. Pray that I will not make this trip about me, but that every moment of it will be about loving God and loving others. Lastly, pray that I will encounter God in a powerful and transformational way.

Up-to-date prayer requests, stories, pictures, and videos from our team will be posted on the Hope for Haiti blog.

Enjoy following-us and thank you for your prayers.

Forgotten God by Francis Chan

2010-06-13T18:52:00.000-07:00

Forgotten God
Reversing our tragic neglect of the Holy Spirit

Francis Chan's books, Crazy Love and Forgotten God, are both powerfully convicting books due to Chan's ability to understand, reveal, and rebuke his readers for their sin - even their sin towards reading his books! Reading develops knowledge and understanding of truth. And as Scripture tells us, if we know what we should do, but do not do it, that is sin. Therefore, as readers we must actively apply the truth we learn, or else we will find ourselves in sin (all the while, boasting in our wisdom). Through reading Chan's words I have been personally convicted that I often respond to a book by saying “what a good message, sooo convicting….” yet, I won't APPLY those “good messages” and therefore my life is only changed by a fraction of what I read, despite the teaching of faithful pastors and authors. Chan demands more from his readers, and I'm thankful for that.

Chan's book, Forgotten God, did not only teach me about the Holy Spirit, but how the Holy Spirit affects (or rather, should affect) my life. His aim is to reveal WHY we want the Holy Spirit in our lives. We may have our own purposes for desiring the Spirit’s presence and power in our lives, but so does God and His desires have everything to do with the church’s growth and God’s glory. We are meant to follow, not be followed-by, the Holy Spirit. Chan asks, “Did God lead you to where you are? ...If you say you are called to be in the place you are, a few questions need to be considered…” The Spirit may lead you anywhere, to a different city, to a different state, to a different country, to stay where you are and spend your time in very different ways than you are now, He could lead you toward actions like in 2 Samuel 6, where David danced before the Lord “with all his might” (v 14). Others were shamed by his undignified display of worship to God, yet David said that he didn’t care and that he would become even more undignified for the sake of the Lord. All he cared about was worshiping his God. Chan reminds you that the Holy Spirit is about getting more of worshiping God, not about answers, power, miracles, or self-glorification. His book makes you worship God – love the Holy Spirit – and evaluate what it looks like to follow Him today, tomorrow, and the next day.

I was surprisingly refreshed by Forgotten God, and only wish I had read it sooner!

I know the God I follow is bigger than disaster

2010-05-29T11:27:00.000-07:00

Praying for Haiti every day.

I'll be on my way there in 24 days...

Crazy Love by Francis Chan

2010-05-28T09:57:00.000-07:00

Crazy Love
Overwhelmed By A Relentless God

For some reason this book became wildly popular on Miami's campus this past year, despite it's 2008 publication. I bought it, but before I even read it, other students borrowed it, and read it first! Once I finally opened Crazy Love for myself, it took more highlighters than days to read it.

Chan's clearest desire is for his life, preaching, and writing is to ignite a response, not just in word, but in deed. Referencing the early church, Chan reminds us "After the apostle Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, people 'were cut to the heart and said... 'Brothers, what shall we do?' (Acts 2:37). The first church responded with immediate action: repentance, baptism, selling possessions, sharing the Gospel." Why is this relevant to us today? Because the church today has a frighteningly different response! "We respond with words like Amen, Convicting sermons, Great book... and then we are paralyzed as we try to decipher what God wants of our lives." This was never the response that God desired for us! In Chan's final chapter, 'The Crux of the Matter', he writes:

I wrote this book because much of our talk doesn't match our lives. We say things like, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," and "Trust in the Lord with all your heart." Then we live and plan like we don't believe God even exists. We try to set our lives up so everything will be fine if God doesn't come through. But true faith means holding nothing back. It means putting every hope in God's fidelity to His promises.

Sooo-ooh many people would agree that Christian's talk-the-talk, but don't walk-the-walk, but their only response is embitterment and complaining. This is why Chan's response is so true and refreshing. Honesty and passion emanate from the pages of this book. When Chan is asked "Do you think God calls you to live a radical, crazy life?" his response is simple, honest, and powerful:

It's not that this lifestyle should be crazy to us. It should be the only thing that makes sense. Giving up everything and sacrificing everything we can for the afterlife is logical. "Crazy" is living a safe life and storing up things while trying to enjoy our time on earth, knowing that any millisecond God could take your life. To me that is crazy, and that is radical. The crazy ones are the ones who live like there is no God. To me that is insanity.

Chan's writing overflows with passionate love for God and for others, with an exciting, deeply convicting, vision of what it looks like to really live it out. This book inspires a new, and Biblical, way of life while enticing it's reader to wholeheartedly worship God. I highly recommend grabbing a copy of Crazy Love and reading it from front-to-back.

Have you read it? Post your comments!

Click here more book reviews from my library.

New Books for the month of May

2010-05-12T11:01:00.000-07:00

Books I'm reading this May

Perfecting Ourselves to Death
The Pursuit of Excellence and the Perils of Perfectionism
by Richard Winter

Crazy Love
Overwhelmed by a Relentless God
by Francis Chan

Forgotten God
Reversing our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit
by Francis Chan

What is a Healthy Church Member
by Thabiti Anyabwile

Titus by the Apostle Paul
Paul's brief letter to Titus teaching the inseparable link between faith and practice, belief and behavior. This truth is the basis for Paul's critique of false teaching as well as his instruction in Christian living and qualifications for church leaders.

1 and 2 Timothy by the Apostle Paul
First Timothy is a warning against false teachers as well as clear call for the church to live out in tangible ways the ethical implications of the gospel.
Second Timothy is a bold call for perseverance in the gospel in spite of suffering. Paul calls on his young coworker to continue the fight of faith, even as Paul approaches the end of his own life.

Have any comments about any of these books? Please share them! I'll post mine soon...

Entering the Dating World

2010-05-10T06:43:00.000-07:00

For my senior capstone as a psychology major at Miami University I co-authored a book From Clash to Complement An Analysis of Gender Roles and Marriage with my friend, Austin. We humorously and scientifically claimed that complementary gender roles within dating and marriage will foster the most happiness. Our aim was to write a book that explained a radical alternative to the dating and marriage life that most people know today. "A culture that has suffered the causalities of traditional marriages and explored the battle grounds of egalitarian relationships must turn toward a complementary understanding for refuge." Our viewpoint was strong, and it led to quite a book... I was reading portions of it last night and thought it would be fun to share some of the more humorous aspects.

Table of Contents
Section I Dating
Chapter 1: Playing House
                Traditional Stereotypes & Dating
Chapter 2: Romantically Challenged
                The Egalitarian Attempt to Dating
Chapter 3: The Best Date Yet
                Complementary Dating
Section II Marriage
Chapter 4: Unpleasantville
                The Life of Traditional Marriage
Chapter 5: Two Left Feet
                The Dance of Egalitarian Marriage
Chapter 6: Peanut Butter & Jelly
                The Delight of Complementary Marriage

As introductions for each chapter Austin and I shared personal stories either from our own lives or from the lives of our friends or family members. The most entertaining stories we included were those that recalled each of our entries into the dating world...

Romantically Challenged
The Egalitarian Attempt to Dating
Entering the Dating World
    In kindergarten I remember having pigtails, purple stretch pants, and a love for macaroni and cheese. My mom once showed me pictures of myself wearing a cardboard cut-out of macaroni and cheese for a class performance. I thank the Lord that aside from those pictures I have no real recollection of why I was wearing 'mararoni' and dancing around on stage. However, one memory I unabashedly recall is my kindergarten Valentine's Day.
   We can all remember the Valentine's cards with cartoon characters or pretty princesses on the front. The whole class swaps "Your Sweet" valentines and candy hearts to ensure that kid in the back row isn't left-out. But that's not the memory I'm talking about. I did the whole class valentine swap alright, but it was after I got home from that busy kindergarten day that my doorbell rang. I skidded through the kitchen to see who was at the door, and Raymond, the cutest boy from my class, was standing at the door with a single rose! As he handed me my first real red rose he stammered, "W-would you like to go see B-Beauty and the Beast on ice with me... and my dad?" Dad, or no dad, I was going on my first date! Pigtails, purple stretch pants and all - that's when I entered the dating world. And had I see all the jerks, heartbreaks, and break-downs coming, I might have waited... at least until first grade!
    Now, eighteen years later, I still find myself in the 'dating world'. Although, I do believe I've learned a thing or two along the way. I have gained knowledge from the preps and skaters, the short-term and long-distance, and cheaters and the clingers. I've been there as my friends have hooked-up, shacked-up, and broken-up. I've spent many late night learning from 'expert' Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City's New York Times sex columnist. I've journaled, researched, and studied; and prayerfully this journey will end with a book worth your reading and a man worth my loving.

We turned-in our book and graduated college the next week... I doubt we changed many people's minds about gender roles, but a year later I still think it's a book worth reading.

Love the Father has given to us

2010-05-06T08:41:00.000-07:00

Everything is really all about the Gospel, and I love when I'm freshly reminded of that simple and beautiful truth. This is an animation built on 1 John 3:1 and a song by Sovereign Grace Music entitled Prodigal.

The Riches of His Grace

2010-05-04T13:34:00.000-07:00

"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight" Ephesians 1:7-8

God created Adam and Eve in a condition of sinless freedom, yet, they subjected themselves to slavery through disobediently eating from the tree of knowledge. Their rebellion sold the entire human race into bondage under sin and death. A just God ought to leave us there, entangled in sin, fully deserving of His judgment and wrath. However, our God, both just and merciful, repurchased a people to Himself through Jesus Christ. Through His blood we have redemption, the forgiveness of our trespasses. Such beautiful news - we are ransomed from our previous captivity and slavery, according to the riches of his grace! Our every action earns us guilt and wrath, but God richly poured out his grace upon us through the sacrifice of his Son. We are unreservedly offered freedom from slavery to sin and guilt through Christ's blood, an atoning sacrifice. However, God's grace did not stop there, for he lavishes grace upon us in all wisdom and insight. It is extended in great amounts, without limit, openhanded, extravagant grace upon grace! We, who are so undeserving, are generously offered grace and mercy by our Creator and Savior. This is not a God who begrudgingly allows us into His presence. Far from that, He is a God who loves deeply and powerfully in both word and deed. This is a God worth worshiping.

My Theme Song

2010-04-29T21:45:00.000-07:00

If I had to pick a theme song for my year it would be

If You Say Go

If You say go, we will go

If You say wait, we will wait

If You say step out on the water

And they say it can't be done

We'll fix our eyes on You and we will come

Your ways are higher than our ways

And the plans that You have laid

Are good and true

If You call us to the fire

You will not withdraw Your hand

We'll gaze into the flames and look for You

The Top 10 Truths that Changed my Life 2010

2010-04-28T00:21:00.000-07:00

1. Growing in godliness is predominantly about desiring God above everything else.
Blaise Pascal one said, “All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end.” By nature we live for what we value. Therefore, the battle ground of the Christian life is about what we desire. We are called to fight, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to value Jesus above all other things – then we’ll choose Him. As Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
DESIRING GOD BY JOHN PIPER, PSALM 16:11; PSALM 43:4; PSALM 119:103-104, 1 SAMUEL 12:21

2. Believers MUST memorize chapters and books of Scripture!
God’s Word says, “Blessed is the man who delights in the law of the Lord and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither” (Psalm 1:2-3). You cannot meditate on Scripture day and night without having it committed to memory! Paul wrote “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (3:16) which requires reading and memorizing God’s word!
A CALL TO SCRIPTURE MEMORY BY SUSAN HECK, DEUT 6:6; DEUT 11:18, PSALM 119, ROMANS 12:2, AND SO MANY MORE!

3. You respond to the Gospel through repentance and faith for both justification and sanctification.
You will grow in Christ the same way that you came to Christ: Repentance and Faith. You must continually see and confess that you are a more wretched sinner than you thought, yet through faith in Jesus, you are more loved and accepted than you could have ever imagined! This is the Gospel – never move past it! The Gospel both immediately justifies and continually sanctifies you. This is why you need to preach the Gospel to yourself every day.
THE SLOPE OF REPENTANCE & FAITH FROM THE OAKS, THE CROSS CENTERED LIFE BY C.J. MAHANEY

4. You must constantly repent to yourself, to God, and when necessary to others.
Pervasive, all-of-life repentance is the best sign that you are growing deeply and rapidly into the character of Jesus. You must be resolved, as Jonathan Edwards was, to confess frankly to yourself, all which you find in yourself, either sickness or sin; and also to confess the whole case to God, and implore needed help [the Holy Spirit and the accountability of brothers and sisters in Christ].” You must ask yourself every night and every week: What sin have I repented of? Is there anyone I need to repent to or any sin that remains unconfessed?
ALL OF LIFE IS REPENTANCE BY TIM KELLER, THE RESOLUTIONS OF JONATHAN EDWARDS, ACCOUNTABILITY QUESTIONS

5. Do not give authority to your feelings; they often arise from your flesh, which is totally depraved.
Martin Luther wisely said, "All natural inclinations are either without God or against him; therefore none are good.” The desires of your flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, so you must choose to walk by the Spirit. You cannot blindly trust your feelings. They often arise from the flesh and are therefore sinful. Always take your thoughts captive, question their aim (God or self), and reinterpret them through Scripture.
SEEING WITH NEW EYES BY DAVID POWLISON, FLESH CARTOON BY JOSHUA HARRIS, ROMANS 7, GALATIANS 5:16-24

6. You will live most freely when you believe that dying is gain.
Christ came to set you free, so that sin and death no longer have power over you (Galatians 5:1). “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 15:54-57). Christ bought your freedom, but you must now live in it. Look to Paul’s words in Philippians 1:20-26 as an example, primarily “For to me to live in Christ, and to die is gain” (v. 21). Do not allow yourself to be content with the level of your surrender to Christ until you learn to cry out as Esther did, “If I perish, I perish!” (v. 4:16).
DOING MISSIONS WHEN DYING IS GAIN BY JOHN PIPER, GALATIANS 5:1, 1 CORINTHIANS 15:54-57, PHILIPPIANS 1:20-26

7. Discipleship is a Biblical command so that our lives do not bring shame to God’s word.
Live as a Titus 2 Woman: “Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women … that the word of God may not be reviled.” Scripture commands that women be discipled by qualified older women and disciple younger women, so that the word of God may not be despised.
TITUS 2:3-5, FEMININE APPEAL BY CAROLYN MAHANEY

8. Learn to treat the church like Jesus Christ’s beloved bride.
The local church is not meant to be treated with a critical, me-centered, non-committal, two-timer attitude. The Church is Christ’s bride and we must treat it as such - love it, speak well of it, serve it, give to it, and become a part of it. Joshua Harris writes, "The greatest motivation we could ever find for being passionately committed to the Church is that Jesus is passionately committed to the Church." As Christians we are called to be imitators of God (Eph 5:1) and to be conformed to the image of His Son (Rom 8:29). Therefore we must love the Church and put that passion into action by thinking globally and loving locally. Briefly put, stop dating the church and commit!
STOP DATING THE CHURCH BY JOSHUA HARRIS, WHAT IS A HEALTHY CHURCH MEMBER BY THABITI ANABWILE

9. When committing to a local church, you cannot afford to unwisely asses its healthiness!
Therefore, we cannot afford to unwisely asses the health of a church! We need to Biblically consider the crucial, deal-breaking, qualities of a church. Mark Dever writes that the 9 marks of a healthy church are: 1) Expositional Preaching 2) Biblical Theology 3) The Gospel 4) A Biblical Understanding of Conversion 5) Evangelism 6) Church Membership 7) Biblical Church Discipline 8) A Concern for Discipleship and Growth 9) Biblical Church Leadership.
9 MARKS OF A HEALTHY CHURCH AND WHAT IS A HEALTHY CHURCH BY MARK DEVER

10. Please, read wisely.
A. Invest in a study Bible and learn how to use it. Don’t settle for a diet of predigested truth (Christian books). Read your Bible more than you read anything else. 2 TIMOTHY 3:16, HEBREWS 4:12
B. The New Testament is written to an audience well versed in the Old Testament; therefore you cannot compromise your time reading and understanding the Old Testament.
C. Know the authors of the Christian books you read. Find-out their beliefs, publishings, reputation and legacy. If their life isn’t worth emulating, read a different book. HEBREWS 13:7, 3 JOHN 1:11

BIG Bibles Humor

2010-04-24T23:03:00.000-07:00

There are sooo many LOL lyrics in this song!!!

Do you desire God?

2010-04-18T21:44:00.000-07:00

Austin shared a video clip of Paul Washer's preaching that is well worth passing-on. Washer's message is super refreshing and convicting. He poses so many soul-searching questions that we all need to be answering. Take 7 minutes and listen to it...

How would you answer Washer's question, Do you desire God?

For Austin's (Voice Among Scoffers) full post about Paul Washer click here.

A wonderful Hymn

2010-04-18T17:00:00.000-07:00

Take Time to Be Holy

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
    Abide in him always, and feed on his Word.
Make friends of God's children; help those who are weak;
    Forgetting in nothing his blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
    Spend much time in secret with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, like him thou shalt be;
    Thy friends in thy conduct his likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy, let him by thy guide,
    And run not before him, whatever betide;
In joy or in sorrow, still follow thy Lord,
    And, looking to Jesus, still trust in his Word.

Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul;
    Each thought and each motive beneath his control;
Thus led by his Spirit to fountains of love,
    Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.

Author: William D. Longstaff, 1887

T4G 2010 Sermons!

2010-04-15T20:01:00.000-07:00

Together for the Gospel, T4G 2010 sermons about are now posted!

Click here to download messages from:
Mark Dever The Church is the Gospel Made Visible (A-mazing!!!)
RC Sproul The Defense and Confirmation of the Gospel — What I Have Learned in 50 years
Albert Mohler How Does it Happen? Trajectories Toward an Adjusted Gospel
Thabiti Anyabwile ‘Fine-Sounding Arguments’ — How Wrongly ‘Engaging the Culture’ Adjusts the Gospel
John MacArthur The Theology of Sleep!

John Piper Did Jesus Preach Paul’s Gospel?

Where You Lead Me - I Will Follow

2010-04-14T21:46:00.000-07:00

In God's perfect timing a door was opened for me to serve in Haiti this summer. I'm very thankful that God's sovereignty steered me towards this door... a door which I never anticipated to find myself at. However, as I was on the phone earlier (being told for the first time, 'we want to send you overseas') a song came to mind. I absent-mindedly doodled the lyrics across a pink sheet of scrap paper, and then I looked down and realized what I had written....

Here's the song that ran through my head:

Where You Lead Me

What is life?

A thousand roads, a thousand ways

Why am I so afraid to move

I crossed the line

I'm stepping out so come what may

I give it all cause I'm drawn to You

As long as my heart is beating...

Where You lead me I will follow

Where You lead me I give my life away

Where You lead me I will follow

Forever and a day

God closed every other door along my path, because He wanted to bring me to this one. With my heart racing and soul singing I will follow Jesus to Haiti this summer.

Oh, and my heart has not changed for India and the 10/40 window, but that's what prayer and patience are for :)

Chandler on Sanctification

2010-04-13T12:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I listened to Matt Chandler's sermon about Sanctification in Marriage. It's the 7th sermon in Chandler's Path series. Chandler's main text is 1 Peter 3, which can easily make women shut-down, walk out, and grumble in defiance. However, Chandler's purpose in preaching through this passage is beautiful, if we'll just give him a chance:

I want to talk this morning about the relationship between husbands and wives and how, in Jesus Christ, we get back to Genesis 2, which says of the man and woman, “They were naked and unashamed.” And don’t think “naked” in regards to physical nakedness (although that’s great), but rather think in terms of them having nothing to hide. So how do we get a man and a woman in the confines of marriage back to the place where they have nothing to hide from one another and they don’t walk or operate in any shame? So Jesus is going to purchase that for us in His cross, and then He’s going to lead us that way by giving us commands that we are to obey and, in obedience to those commands, we line ourselves up with how He designed things to work for our joy and His glory. Now I don’t know this year that I will get into a more controversial text than the one that I’m about to be in. It flies in the face of almost everything our culture believes and tries to operate in. So here’s what I need you to promise me. I’m fine with you getting offended, and I’m fine with you getting angry. What I’m saying is don’t turn me off until we’re done unpacking it. Don’t just hear certain words and go, “Oh no, he didn’t!” Just give me my 45-50 minutes, let me unpack this thing and then if you want to leave and never come back, I really am okay with that. But don’t turn me off until we’re done here. Because God’s appeal to you as wives and God’s appeal to you as husbands is not about your begrudging submission, it’s about your joy. So what’s at stake here is your joy. So my prayer is that you would be hedonistic enough to listen and here.

Matt Chandler is the lead pastor at The Village Church, in Dallas, TX. The Village is part of the Acts 29 Network, directed by Scott Thomas.

To download other sermons by Matt Chandler (who, by God's grace, is an amazingly gifted pastor), click here.

Prayer and going to Haiti

2010-04-12T15:38:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I read Wayne Grudem's chapter on Prayer from Sytematic Theology. Since then I have meditated upon the power and importance of praying according to God's will. Upon this topic Grudem points us to Jesus' example, "Jesus teaches us to pray, "Your will be done" (Matt 6:10), and he himself gives us an example, by praying in the garden of Gethsemane, "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will" (Matt 26:39)" (p 382). Jesus' soul was troubled and sorrowful, even to death, driving him to fall on his face in prayer! This is a posture of abject humility, from which Jesus lays his life before his Father in complete honesty and surrender - solidifying the earnestness of his words "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." Even in Jesus' most earnest and sorrowful prayers, he surrenders entirely to God's will as his ultimate request.

How should Jesus' example translate into my life? Prayer is not just about getting what I want, but about making my requests known to God (my loving Father) while seeking that my desires align with His will. We are told to delight ourselves in the Lord, and He will gives us the desires of our heart. When our hearts desire what is godly and pure, He is able to bless us by fulling our requests, if that is His sovereign will. Concerning God's response to our prayers Grudem writes:

Sometimes God will grant what we have asked. Sometimes he will give us deeper understanding or change our hearts so that we are led to ask something differently. Sometimes he will not grant our request at all but will simply indicate to us that we must submit to his will (see 2 Cor 12:9-10).

Concerning Grudem's last point, God, in His wisdom, at times will not grant our requests, teaching us to submit to his will. In 2 Corinthians Paul repetitively pleaded with the Lord to remove a thorn from his flesh. God's response was one of fatherly authority, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." To this, Paul responds, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weakness, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (8-10). Paul grew in a more accurate view of both himself and God as he learned submission and humility in light of God's supremacy.

For months I have prayed for an opportunity to go to Mumbai, India this summer. I asked, and I kept on asking. I followed God's word when He said, "And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" (Luke 11:9). I knocked, and I kept on knocking. But God did not answer my requests by granting me what I had asked. He did not grant my request at all. Rather, He indicated that I must submit to His sovereignty and be willing to go anywhere. So, now I'm left following Paul's example - being content with God's response, although it is not what I had hoped for.

It seems that God is leading me, not towards Mumbai, but towards Haiti this summer. I feel ill-prepared, uncertain, and confused. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weakness, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. The redemption of the world, and of a people to Himself, are God's plans and desires. He cares and knows far more about His redemption than I'm capable of. Thus, I can trust that His plans are far better than my own. As Jesus exemplified, I also now say, "not as I will, but as you will."

An Intolerable Inequity

2010-04-07T21:50:00.000-07:00

I was struck by John Piper's words in his article: A Passion for Missions in the Men Who Stay. On November 14, 1983, Piper wrote:

I cannot get over the fact that there are more churches in the Twin Cities than there are Protestant North American missionaries to 1,930,000,000 Muslim, Hindu, Han Chinese and Buddhist people who have not been reached by the gospel. “To whom much is given, from him much will be required” (Luke 12:48). Surely this implies that churches and denominations with many members and many ministers should be giving many of these people to cultures which have virtually no gospel witness. I cannot see how we can go on with business as usual while this intolerable inequity exists: 650 Protestant North American missionaries minister to 1,930 million unreached people, while 1,000,000 Christian workers in America minister to 200 million people, most of whom are already reached. How will the church give an account of itself to the Lord?!

For the rest of John Piper's article click here.

That means that within America the ratio of Christian laborers to nonbelievers is 1:200. Simultaneous, the ratio of laborers to unreached overseas is 1:2,969,230. Do we not see the injustice we impose on the world through our selfishness?! Our comforts and blessings have made us lazy and indifferent, yet Luke 12:48 is still true. "To who much is given, from him much will be required." And, really, why wouldn't we want to? Do we not truly love others? We are commanded to love God and love others... but true love is shown through deed and in truth.

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:16-18)

Our nation is growing obese with not only fast food, but also with Christianity. We have more churches and Bibles than we know what to do with, yet we become complacent when we should be compelled forward in deed and truth. Will we dare pray that God will send laborers into the harvest, and that we might be part of God's answer to that very prayer???

Theological Humor that makes me LOL

2010-04-07T03:49:00.000-07:00

Two videos that make me LOL. Don't take them too seriously... just enjoy!

GREAT NEWS!

2010-04-06T19:43:00.000-07:00

Covenant Theological Seminary accepted me to the Masters of Counseling Program for the fall of 2010!!! How sweet and true are the words of Jeremiah 29:11-13

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

It's been sooo-ooh sweet trusting and waiting on the Lord's timing. And, Lord willing, in 5 months I'll start counseling classes at Covenant in St. Louis!! I'm so thrilled!!!

Jonathan Edwards' Resolutions

2010-04-05T15:50:00.000-07:00

My roommate and I recently designed a prayer & scripture memorization board in our apartment so that we can better spur one another on towards the Lord. However, it wasn't complete until we added a Theologian(s) of the week section so that can continually learn from and emulate the great saints from church history. This week we chose to study, discuss, and thank God for the lives and ministries of Sarah and Jonathan Edwards. Therefore, this weeks posts will include writing by, or inspired by, this godly puritan couple. (I write this all with dead earnestness, although I'm sure this is amusing to many, and therefore I do simultaneously humor myself through it, and am always the better off for laughing.)

As I have read about Jonathan Edwards, the wisdom and discipline of his Resolutions has most greatly impressed me. Edwards wrote a lengthy list of resolutions in his early 20's, and then disciplined himself to read through them once a week as a practice of closely examining his soul before the Lord. We could all take a good lesson from Edwards about discipline, self-examination, and godliness.

His Resolutions have been recorded in volume one of The Works of Jonathan Edwards. (I especially enjoy #5, #6, #18, #25, #28, #56, #60, #65, and #70) They read as follows:

Being sensible that I am unable to do any thing without God’s help, I do humbly entreat him, by his grace, to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ’s sake.
Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week.
1. Resolved, That I will do whatsoever I think to be most to the glory of God, and my own good, profit, and pleasure, in the whole of my duration; without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved, to do whatever I think to be my duty, and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved, so to do, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many soever, and how great soever.
2. Resolved, To be continually endeavouring to find out some new contrivance and invention to promote the forementioned things.
3. Resolved, If ever I shall fall and grow dull, so as to neglect to keep any part of these Resolutions, to repent of all I can remember, when I come to myself again.
4. Resolved, Never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God, nor be, nor suffer it, if I can possibly avoid it.
5. Resolved, Never to lose one moment of time, but to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can.
6. Resolved, To live with all my might, while I do live.
7. Resolved, Never to do any thing, which I should be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life.
8. Resolved, To act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings, as others; and that I will let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God. Vid. July 30.
9. Resolved, To think much, on all occasions, of my dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.
10. Resolved, when I feel pain, to think of the pains of martyrdom, and of hell.
11. Resolved, When I think of any theorem in divinity to be solved, immediately to do what I can towards solving it, if circumstances do not hinder. xxi
12. Resolved, If I take delight in it as a gratification of pride, or vanity, or on any such account, immediately to throw it by.
13. Resolved, To be endeavouring to find out fit objects of liberality and charity.
14. Resolved, Never to do any thing out of revenge.
15. Resolved, Never to suffer the least motions of anger towards irrational beings.
16. Resolved, Never to speak evil of any one, so that it shall tend to his dishonour, more or less, upon no account except for some real good.
17. Resolved, That I will live so, as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.
18. Resolved, To live so, at all times, as I think is best in my most devout frames, and when I have the clearest notions of the things of the gospel, and another world.
19. Resolved, Never to do any thing, which I should be afraid to do, if I expected it would not be above an hour before I should hear the last trump.
20. Resolved, To maintain the strictest temperance in eating and drinking.
21. Resolved, Never to do any thing, which if I should see in another, I should count a just occasion to despise him for, or to think any way the more meanly of him.
22. Resolved, To endeavour to obtain for myself as much happiness in the other world as I possibly can, with all the power, might, vigour, and vehemence, yea violence, I am capable of, or can bring myself to exert, in any way that can be thought of.
23. Resolved, Frequently to take some deliberate action, which seems most unlikely to be done, for the glory of God, and trace it back to the original intention, designs, and ends of it; and if I find it not to be for God’s glory, to repute it as a breach of the fourth Resolution.
24. Resolved, Whenever I do any conspicuously evil action, to trace it back, till I come to the original cause; and then, both carefully endeavour to do so no more, and to fight and pray with all my might against the original of it.
25. Resolved, To examine carefully and constantly, what that one thing in me is, which causes me in the least to doubt of the love of God; and so direct all my forces against it.
26. Resolved, To cast away such things as I find do abate my assurance.
27. Resolved, Never wilfully to omit any thing, except the omission be for the glory of God; and frequently to examine my omissions.
28. Resolved, To study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly, and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive, myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.
29. Resolved, Never to count that a prayer, nor to let that pass as a prayer, nor that as a petition of a prayer, which is so made, that I cannot hope that God will answer it; nor that as a confession which I cannot hope God will accept.
30. Resolved, To strive every week to be brought higher in religion, and to a higher exercise of grace, than I was the week before.
31. Resolved, Never to say any thing at all against any body, but when it is perfectly agreeable to the highest degree of christian honour, and of love to mankind, agreeable to the lowest humility, and sense of my own faults and failings, and agreeable to the golden rule; often, when I have said any thing against any one, to bring it to, and try it strictly by, the test of this Resolution.
32. Resolved, To be strictly and firmly faithful to my trust, that that, in Prov. xx. 6. ‘A faithful man, who can find?’ may not be partly fulfilled in me.
33. Resolved, To do always what I can towards making, maintaining, and preserving peace, when it can be done without an overbalancing detriment in other respects. Dec. 26, 1722.
34. Resolved, In narrations, never to speak any thing but the pure and simple verity.
35. Resolved, Whenever I so much question whether I have done my duty, as that my quiet and calm is thereby disturbed, to set it down, and also how the question was resolved. Dec. 18, 1722.
36. Resolved, Never to speak evil of any, except I have some particular good call to it. Dec. 19, 1722.
37. Resolved, To inquire every night, as I am going to bed, wherein I have been negligent,—what sin I have committed,—and wherein I have denied myself;—also, at the end of every week, month, and year. Dec. 22 and 26, 1722.
38. Resolved, Never to utter any thing that is sportive, or matter of laughter, on a Lord’s day. Sabbath evening, Dec. 23, 1722.
39. Resolved, Never to do any thing, of which I so much question the lawfulness, as that I intend, at the same time, to consider and examine afterwards, whether it be lawful or not; unless I as much question the lawfulness of the omission.
40. Resolved, To inquire every night before I go to bed, whether I have acted in the best way I possibly could, with respect to eating and drinking. Jan. 7, 1723.
41. Resolved, to ask myself, at the end of every day, week, month, and year, wherein I could possibly, in any respect, have done better. Jan. 11, 1723.
42. Resolved, Frequently to renew the dedication of myself to God, which was made at my baptism, which I solemnly renewed when I was received into the communion of the church, and which I have solemnly re-made this 12th day of January, 1723.
43. Resolved, Never, henceforward, till I die, to act as if I were any way my own, but entirely and altogether God’s; agreeably to what is to be found in Saturday, Jan. 12th. Jan. 12, 1723.
44. Resolved, That no other end but religion shall have any influence at all on any of my actions; and that no action shall be, in the least circumstance, any otherwise than the religious end will carry it. Jan. 12, 1723.
45. Resolved, Never to allow any pleasure or grief, joy or sorrow, nor any affection at all, nor any degree of affection, nor any circumstance relating to it, but what helps religion. Jan. 12 and 13, 1723.
46. Resolved, Never to allow the least measure of any fretting or uneasiness at my father or mother. Resolved, to suffer no effects of it, so much as in the least alteration of speech, or motion of my eye; and to be especially careful of it with respect to any of our family.
47. Resolved, To endeavour, to my utmost, to deny whatever is not most agreeable to a good and universally sweet and benevolent, quiet, peaceable, contented and easy, compassionate and generous, humble and meek, submissive and obliging, diligent and industrious, charitable and even, patient, moderate, forgiving, and sincere, temper; and to do, at all times, what such a temper would xxii lead me to; and to examine strictly, at the end of every week, whether I have so done. Sabbath morning, May 5, 1723.
48. Resolved, Constantly, with the utmost niceness and diligence, and the strictest scrutiny, to be looking into the state of my soul, that I may know whether I have truly an interest in Christ or not; that when I come to die, I may not have any negligence respecting this to repent of. May 26, 1723.
49. Resolved, That this never shall be, if I can help it.
50. Resolved, That I will act so, as I think I shall judge would have been best, and most prudent, when I come into the future world. July 5, 1723.
51. Resolved, That I will act so, in every respect, as I think I shall wish I had done, if I should at last be damned. July 8, 1723.
52. I frequently hear persons in old age say how they would live, if they were to live their lives over again: Resolved, That I will live just so as I can think I shall wish I had done, supposing I live to old age. July 8, 1723.
53. Resolved, To improve every opportunity, when I am in the best and happiest frame of mind, to cast and venture my soul on the Lord Jesus Christ, to trust and confide in him, and consecrate myself wholly to him; that from this I may have assurance of my safety, knowing that I confide in my Redeemer. July 8, 1723.
54. Resolved, Whenever I hear anything spoken in commendation of any person, if I think it would be praiseworthy in me, that I will endeavour to imitate it. July 8, 1723.
55. Resolved, To endeavour, to my utmost, so to act, as I can think I should do, if I had already seen the happiness of heaven and hell torments. July 8, 1723.
56. Resolved, Never to give over, nor in the least to slacken, my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.
57. Resolved, When I fear misfortunes and adversity, to examine whether I have done my duty, and resolve to do it and let the event be just as Providence orders it. I will, as far as I can, be concerned about nothing but my duty and my sin. June 9, and July 13, 1723.
58. Resolved, Not only to refrain from an air of dislike, fretfulness, and anger in conversation, but to exhibit an air of love, cheerfulness, and benignity. May 27, and July 13, 1723.
59. Resolved, When I am most conscious of provocations to ill nature and anger, that I will strive most to feel and act good-naturedly; yea, at such times, to manifest good nature, though I think that in other respects it would be disadvantageous, and so as would be imprudent at other times. May 12, July 11, and July 13.
60. Resolved, Whenever my feelings begin to appear in the least out of order, when I am conscious of the least uneasiness within, or the least irregularity without, I will then subject myself to the strictest examination. July 4 and 13, 1723.
61. Resolved, That I will not give way to that listlessness which I find unbends and relaxes my mind from being fully and fixedly set on religion, whatever excuse I may have for it—that what my listlessness inclines me to do, is best to be done, &c. May 21, and July 13, 1723.
62. Resolved, Never to do any thing but my duty, and then, according to Eph. vi. 6-8. to do it willingly and cheerfully, as unto the Lord, and not to man: knowing that whatever good thing any man doth, the same shall be receive of the Lord. June 25, and July 13, 1723.
63. On the supposition, that there never was to be but one individual in the world, at any one time, who was properly a complete Christian, in all respects of a right stamp, having Christianity always shining in its true lustre, and appearing excellent and lovely, from whatever part and under whatever character viewed: Resolved, To act just as I would do, if I strove with all my might to be that one, who should live in my time. Jan. 14, and July 13, 1723.
64. Resolved, When I find those ”groanings which cannot be uttered,“ of which the apostle speaks, and those ”breathings of soul for the longing it hath,” of which the psalmist speaks, Psalm cxix. 20. that I will promote them to the utmost of my power; and that I will not be weary of earnestly endeavouring to vent my desires, nor of the repetitions of such earnestness. July 23, and Aug. 10, 1723.
65. Resolved, Very much to exercise myself in this, all my life long, viz. with the greatest openness of which I am capable, to declare my ways to God, and lay open my soul to him, all my sins, temptations, difficulties, sorrows, fears, hopes, desires, and every thing, and every circumstance, according to Dr. Manton’s Sermon on the 119th Psalm,. July 26, and Aug. 10, 1723.
66. Resolved, That I will endeavour always to keep a benign aspect, and air of acting and speaking, in all places, and in all companies, except it should so happen that duty requires otherwise.
67. Resolved, After afflictions, to inquire, what I am the better for them; what good I have got by them; and, what I might have got by them.
68. Resolved, To confess frankly to myself, all that which I find in myself, either infirmity or sin; and, if it be what concerns religion, also to confess the whole case to God, and implore needed help. July 23, and August 10, 1723.
69. Resolved, Always to do that, which I shall wish I had done when I see others do it. Aug. 11, 1723.
70. Let there be something of benevolence in all that I speak. Aug. 17, 1723.

Music I'm Enjoying & Sharing

2010-04-04T21:22:00.000-07:00

Living When Dying is Gain

2010-04-04T15:10:00.000-07:00

Nearly 6 months ago I was asked if I would be willing to go anywhere for the sake of the Gospel. To my shame, my thoughts silently echoed a cold and fearful no. I lived in my hope of the perfect life of seminary, marriage, comfort, leisure, success, vacation, and throw pillows. My joy was shifting ever closer as my dreams seemed to be evolving into reality on earth. I prayed for the things I wanted just as often as I prayed against the inconveniences I detested.

In the short months since then, God mercifully tore away my hope and joy; replacing it with His truth, His hope, and His joy. Through out this season, I have much more deeply resonated with the words of the forefathers and saints through-out Scripture. I am particularly thankful for Paul's words to the saints in Philippi as he expresses:

It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again (1:20-26).

Because of the power of Jesus' death and resurrection Paul did not allow himself to be handicapped or enslaved by anything, even the thought of his own death. Paul pursued an eternal desire that Christ would be honored in his body, whether by life or by death. Therefore, his life was devoted to a labor of love for God and for others which abounded in fruitful service. The influence and ministry Paul claimed has been outweighed by few through-out history. Nevertheless, Paul valued his life as rubbish in comparison to the presence of Jesus Christ after death. This is not to say that Paul was disgusted by his life. Rather, the opposite. Paul found great joy in life, but it simply could not compare to the immeasurable riches in Christ Jesus. As a result, he lived in more freedom than most men or women will ever fathom.

Paul's words guide me as I consider the true and joyful meaning of Easter. Just as Easter is the celebration of Jesus Christ conquering death, his children also no longer need to fear the sting of death. In Paul's first letter to the Corinthians he writes:

Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (15:54b-57).

This morning at The Oaks Community Church, Pastor Kevin taught from this passage. As Kevin preached I was refreshed by the freedom that God has provided us in Christ. Through Jesus' resurrection from the grave, death was swallowed up in victory and it can no longer poison our lives. We have true, eternal life in Christ that cannot be stolen by the venom of death. "For I am sure that neither death nor life... nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38,39). Nothing can prevent God from being glorified in my body, not even death. Therefore, I need not fear man, pain, or death. Only God is worthy of our fear as well as our eternal praise.

God's grace can not be contained any more than joy in Christ can be killed. Christ rose from the grave, which is why all of His children rejoice together on this sweet Easter Sunday.

Never was living beauty so enchanting as a dying Savior. - C.H. Spurgeon

I thank God that my answer today is much different. YES - I would joyfully, humbly, and willing go anywhere for the sake of the Gospel. Where the Lord leads is the best place for me to be. I would fear going any other direction.

God's Sovereignty in the Fullness of Time

2010-03-30T09:24:00.000-07:00

I have so frequently been blessed by C.H. Spurgeon's words as I have been reading Morning and Evening. In particular, yesterday was a continual battle for me to trust the Lord's faithfulness as my (lack of) summer plans frustrated and upset me. I curled into bed, and read Spurgeon's words reflecting upon Song of Solomon 5:6 "I called him, but he gave me no answer.” Spurgeon writes:

Prayer sometimes tarrieth, like a petitioner at the gate, until the King cometh forth to fill her bosom with the blessings which she seeketh. The Lord, when he hath given great faith, has been known to try it by long delayings. He has suffered his servants’ voices to echo in their ears as from a brazen sky. They have knocked at the golden gate, but it has remained immovable, as though it were rusted upon its hinges. Like Jeremiah, they have cried, “Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.” Thus have true saints continued long in patient waiting without reply, not because their prayers were not vehement, nor because they were unaccepted, but because it so pleased him who is a Sovereign, and who gives according to his own pleasure. If it pleases him to bid our patience exercise itself, shall he not do as he wills with his own! Beggars must not be choosers either as to time, place, or form. But we must be careful not to take delays in prayer for denials: God’s long-dated bills will be punctually honoured; we must not suffer Satan to shake our confidence in the God of truth by pointing to our unanswered prayers. Unanswered petitions are not unheard. God keeps a file for our prayers—they are not blown away by the wind, they are treasured in the King’s archives. This is a registry in the court of heaven wherein every prayer is recorded. Tried believer, thy Lord hath a tear-bottle in which the costly drops of sacred grief are put away, and a book in which thy holy groanings are numbered. By and by, thy suit shall prevail. Canst thou not be content to wait a little? Will not thy Lord’s time be better than thy time? By and by he will comfortably appear, to thy soul’s joy, and make thee put away the sackcloth and ashes of long waiting, and put on the scarlet and fine linen of full fruition.

How imprudent of me to not patiently wait on the Lord's timing! His timing is surely better than my own, yet through-out the day I function as if I always know best. In the fullness of time, God sent his Son to die, and in that same proven wisdom God's timing will always display perfection in every detail of my life.

A Prayer for Muslim Lands

2010-03-28T20:03:00.000-07:00

This morning Kevin DeYoung posted A Prayer for Muslim Lands taken from Samuel M. Zwemer (1867-1952). I was deeply moved by Zwemer's words because they still earnestly apply today, so I wanted to pass them on.

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ

2010-03-24T21:07:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I was extremely blessed to hear Susan Heck teach at a church in Mansfield, OH. Through-out the weekend Susan exposited from 1 Peter 3:1-6 the six characteristics of a godly wife, and from Titus 2 the call to discipleship. Her teaching was powerful in that it came straight from God's Word, and even after a long week of little sleep it was rejuvenating to be there. I was especially thankful for her clarity in defining discipleship, which I will share with you here.

In Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth he writes:

For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me. That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church. (15-17)

Later, Paul reiterates, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ" (11:1). This clear message of "Follow me, as I follow Christ" is pervasive through-out Paul's letters (Phil 3:17; 4:9; 1 Thess 1:6; 2 Thess 3:9). Therefore, living a life worth emulating is essential in Gospel ministry. Paul teaches, not only through proclamation, but also through the example of his life. That is the essence of discipleship! Discipleship involves teaching Gospel truth and Christ-likeness through your entire life.

Being taught about discipleship refreshed me so greatly because Susan not only explained it, but she also lives it. Even during a short weekend God allowed me to learn from Susan's life; specifically from her example in Scripture memorization. Susan has personally memorized 23 books of the New Testament word for word. Her speech is rich evidence of her knowledge of the Scriptures, and it blessed me to spend time with her. Never before had I spent time with someone in whom the Word dwelled so richly. Her discipline of storing away God's Word in her heart and mind is a beautiful example, worthy of emulation.

Thanks to Susan's godly example I have begun memorizing Ephesians 1-2. I have chosen these two chapters in light of Susan's wise advice to memorize chapters or books instead of the random verse method. However, I have historically struggled to stick with memorizing longer passages of Scripture. So, as a form of accountability, and prayerfully an encouragement to others, I will post the Scripture I am memorizing along the right column of my blog.

My only last thoughts are these...

This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (Joshua 1:9)

His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. (Psalm 1:2-3)

Adorn Yourselves -- Women

2010-03-22T21:38:00.000-07:00

My brother and co-laborer Austin started a series on his blog Voice Among Scoffers teaching about self-adornment from 1 Timothy 2. I earnestly agree with Austin when he writes, "The theme of this passage is how men and women wear their faith--as though it were clothing." Paul's initial focus is on men, as he commands that they "lead a peaceful and quiet life" (2), and "pray, lifting holy hands, without anger or quarreling" (8). Expounding upon 1 Timothy 2:1-8, Austin writes:

[Paul] speaks to men to adorn themselves not with anger and quarreling but with prayer and worship to God. We need to disrobe our bodies, strip them of the pride and arrogance that leads to vain discussion and quarreling. Instead, we should put on or adorn ourselves with Worship and Prayer!

As Paul continues in 1 Timothy 2:9-12 he shifts his focus to addressing women.

Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.

As we see in Paul's letter there there are specific ways that women should adorn themselves: with respectable apparel, good works, and a quiet submissive role. Clearly this is not an exhaustive list, but as Paul focuses on Adam and Eve's sin and consequent curse in the fall (Gen 3), he wisely choose to address these three issues. Therefore, as women and daughters of Eve we must seek to understand what Paul is teaching!

Eve's Original Beauty
When God created Eve he caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept he took one of his ribs and closed up the place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. (Genesis 2:21-25). In God's original creation Eve was naked and beautiful - needing nothing of creation to additionally adorn her to create a sense of beauty. Her radiance, which pleased both God and Adam, came from her created purpose to be an image bearer of God's glory. Eve, in her nakedness, was the most beautiful woman to walk the earth because of her pure and untainted resemblance to God. No braids, jewels, or gowns could ever compare to her beauty!

The Vileness of Sin
When Eve rebelliously chose to eat the apple of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil she sinfully sought to be like God (Gen 3:5-6). Although she was created to reflect God's image, she desired to be like God in wisdom and dominion, becoming a rebellious glory thief. In light of this new wisdom the eyes of Adam and Eve were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths (Gen 3:7). Adam and Eve covered the natural beauty that God created, because it was tainted with sin, and they were ashamed!

Women today continue to seek external adornment while ignoring that internally we are rotting away with sin! Our beauty is not meant to be crafted externally; God created Eve beautifully as His own image bearer. The more we look like God, the more beautiful we will be. However, in our blindness as women we inappropriately reveal our bodies, using them to sexually entice men, making wrong use of our beauty by attempting to glorify ourselves rather than God. Women, we must know that when we lure a man into lusting after us, we have stolen God's rightful place in their lives. A man turns his back on God when he chooses lust or sexual sin. This is exactly why Paul commands that godly women should adorn themselves "with modesty and self-control" (9). Modesty and self-control keep us from stealing God's glory.

Respectable apparel
Paul further specifies that women should not adorn themselves "with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire" (9). Paul is not prohibiting the wearing of jewelry; the principle is that women should not dress ostentatiously or seductively, but in a way that is proper. We can also learn from Peter when he addresses women, saying, "Do not let your adorning be external - the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear - but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious" (1 Peter 3:3-4). Both Peter and Paul refer specially to braided hair, extravagant jewelry, and enticing clothing. However, they are clearly not claiming that braids, jewels, and clothes are evil! They are concerned with these external adornments because they reveal a heart that finds significance in worldly beauty. In contrast to this, the Christian woman should focus on inner (hidden) beauty of the heart. What matters to God is the godly character of a woman, characterized by a quiet and gentile spirit. And what matters to God needs to be what matters to us! There is an important difference between external and internal beauty! Our internal beauty comes from being transformed into the image of Christ which is eternal and worthy of praise!

The Message puts it this way: "And I want women to get in there with the men in humility before God, not primping before a mirror or chasing the latest fashions but doing something beautiful for God and becoming beautiful doing it."

Adorn Yourselves -- Women to be continued...
Subsequent posts will cover what good works are proper for women who profess godliness, and how a woman can learn quietly with all submissiveness.

The Criminals - Death by Crucifixation

2010-03-22T09:58:00.000-07:00

If I'm going to be honest, my driving habits probably aren't the best. I love driving with the windows down, blasting my music, and singing along to my favorite songs. I wrongly view driving as a great chance to catch-up on phone calls or text messages (which I'm convicted I should probably change in the immediate future). And I have a tendency to rebel against the 25mph speed limits that make driving through Oxford painfully slow. Despite my lack of attentiveness, my roommate lovingly commented that she feels safe with me driving - unlike her feelings towards most of her other friends when they are behind the wheel. Ironically, no less than 15 minutes after her comment, a cop handed me a hefty speeding ticket in my favorite - 25 mph speed limit.

I must mention that I have witnessed several friends receive much more costly speedy tickets in the past few months - and they handled the situations with amazing grace and humility. As they truthfully said, they were guilty of speeding and therefore they justly deserved the given ticket. As I recalled their grace and poise while being handed my own speeding ticket I greatly struggled against resentment and self-righteousness. Why should I pay a speeding ticket when hundreds of college students are drinking under-age AND driving, smoking illegal drugs, abusing prescriptions... doing things way worse than speeding in a 25! I am so innocent compared to their destructive and idiotic life decisions!

Yet, I did breach the law that leaders have set in place for the good of America. I broke the law. Regardless of my view of the moral importance of the speed limit I was guilty and I justly deserve the ticket that I received. I had no right to be angry at the police officer - all he did was catch me in my sin and deliver the predetermined fine. Not only did I deserve that ticket, but I deserve hundreds more that I have never received. How many tickets would you receive if a cop watched your every "stop" and speed? I have actually received way more grace than justice as a driver!

In a similar way we all stand guilty before a holy and righteous God. God correctly sees every man and woman as a criminal in both nature, since we are born in Adam, and in action since we actively seek and choose sin. When God sent his Son he did it knowing that we are utterly depraved and guilty of sin. As we read about Jesus' crucifixion in Luke 23, we must see ourselves within the criminals being crucified on either side of Jesus.

32 Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left... 39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

Luke 23:32-33, 39-43

We are those criminals. There is no choice in the matter of our guilt - we are guilty before God.

However, there is a difference, ONE great difference. Which criminal will we be? We are either the first who railed against Jesus, mocking and denying him, or the one who feared God, seeing Jesus as holy and blameless, Lord and Savior, and trusting in Him alone for eternal life.

The first criminal ridiculed the name of Jesus saying "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!" (39). He had no faith in Jesus as the Son of God, no shred of belief that Jesus could be his savior.

However, the second criminal, equally foul in deed and guilty in sin saw Jesus differently. “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong” (40-41). This man identified the weight of his own condemnation in light of Jesus' innocence. By faith, he identified Jesus as God and cried out to Him as savior, begging “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom" (42). And Jesus' response is the best news in the history of the world!

That's why what we believe about Jesus is the most significant decision we will ever make. Which criminal will you be?

Jesus Christ - Death by Crucifixion

2010-03-17T21:59:00.000-07:00

Living within the 21st century of Western culture, the image of the cross is subconsciously linked with Jesus Christ crucified; Christianity. However, we often don't consider that the cross as a Christian symbol or "seal" didn't come into use until the second century, close to a hundred years after Jesus was crucified. During the first two centuries of Christianity, the cross may have been rare in Christian iconography, as it depicts a purposely painful and gruesome method of public execution. The Ichthys was used by early Christians. The first appearance of a cross in Christian art is on a Vatican sarcophagus from the mid 5th century. Interestingly enough, the first crucifixion scenes didn't appear in Christian art until the 7th century.

Raising of the Cross by Rubens, Pieter Pauwel, 1610, Oil on panel

Today, we react to the image of the cross very differently than men and women did in the first or second centuries. This painful and gruesome act of execution is something we have probably never witnessed in real life. Perhaps watching The Passion of the Christ with Mel Gibson is our best visualization - which I personally remember watching with tears and nausea. Concerning death by crucifixion, pastor Mark Driscoll writes:

The ancient Jewish historian Josephus called crucifixion 'the most wretched of deaths.' The ancient Roman philosopher Cicero asked that decent Roman citizens not even speak of the cross because it was too disgraceful a subject for the ears of decent people... the Romans... reserved it as the most painful mode of execution for the most despised people, such as slaves, poor people, and Roman citizens guilty of the worst high treason... The pain of crucifixion is so horrendous that a word was invented to explain it - excruciating - which literally means 'from the cross.' The pain of crucifixion is due in part to the fact that it is a prolonged and agonizing death by asphyxiation. Crucified people could hang on the cross for days, passing in and out of consciousness as their lungs struggled to breathe, while laboring under the weight of their body. It was not uncommon for those being crucified to slump on the cross in an effort to empty their lungs of air and thereby hasten their death.*

This historical truth concerning crucifixion should leave us amazed by God's great demonstration of love and mercy on the cross. Paul writes boldly in Romans 5, "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly... God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (6, 8). Jesus Christ endured and pain and agony of crucifixion for our sake. In God's perfect timing and plan He sent Jesus to live the perfect life, and die the perfect death - perfect because it fully satisfied God's wrath against man's sin. Paul continues, "Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God" (9). This is the truth that Christians must live by, "For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation" (10-11). The cross first brings sobriety at the recognition of our sin and God's wrath, than sorrow at the pain Jesus endured, but finally joy that reconciliation with God has been accomplished. For each of these reasons - we can never think upon the cross too often. The cross in the foundation of our justification, sanctification, and glorification. Every day we must seek to humbly sit beneath Jesus' feet, nailed the cross, thanking God for His mercy and grace.

We can never think upon the cross too often.

* Quoted from Driscoll, Mark. Death by Love. pp 18-19.

The Grace that is in Christ Jesus

2010-03-15T07:01:00.000-07:00

My Birthday morning with Charles Spurgeon:

“Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”

2 Timothy 2:1

Christ has grace without measure in himself, but he hath not retained it for himself. As the reservoir empties itself into the pipes, so hath Christ emptied out his grace for his people. “Of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.” He seems only to have in order to dispense to us. He stands like the fountain, always flowing, but only running in order to supply the empty pitchers and the thirsty lips which draw nigh unto it. Like a tree, he bears sweet fruit, not to hang on boughs, but to be gathered by those who need. Grace, whether its work be to pardon, to cleanse, to preserve, to strengthen, to enlighten, to quicken, or to restore, is ever to be had from him freely and without price; nor is there one form of the work of grace which he has not bestowed upon his people. As the blood of the body, though flowing from the heart, belongs equally to every member, so the influences of grace are the inheritance of every saint united to the Lamb; and herein there is a sweet communion between Christ and his Church, inasmuch as they both receive the same grace. Christ is the head upon which the oil is first poured; but the same oil runs to the very skirts of the garments, so that the meanest saint has an unction of the same costly moisture as that which fell upon the head. This is true communion when the sap of grace flows from the stem to the branch, and when it is perceived that the stem itself is sustained by the very nourishment which feeds the branch. As we day by day receive grace from Jesus, and more constantly recognize it as coming from him, we shall behold him in communion with us, and enjoy the felicity of communion with him. Let us make daily use of our riches, and ever repair to him as to our own Lord in covenant, taking from him the supply of all we need with as much boldness as men take money from their own purse.

Quoted from Morning and Evening

Daily Readings by Charles Spurgeon

New Books for the month of March

2010-03-14T23:29:00.000-07:00

Holy Subversion
Allegiance to Christ In an Age of Rivals
by Trevin Wax
Click here to read sample pages

The Knowledge Of The Holy
by A.W. Tozer

Morning and Evening
Daily Readings
by Charles Spurgeon

Perfecting Ourselves To Death
The Pursuit of Excellence and the Perils of Perfection
by Richard Winter

Depression
A Stubborn Darkness
by Edward T. Welch

God's Passion for His Glory
Living the Vision of Jonathan Edwards
by John Piper

Click here to read it FREE on pdf

Leaving for Spring Break tomorrow!

2010-03-05T21:25:00.000-08:00

My favorite things about the Spring:

~ Driving with the windows down.
~ Reading (with Starbucks coffee in hand) at the uptown park Saturday mornings before Oxford wakes-up.
~ Jogging on the Miami trails.
~ Hanging-out on my porch at dusk.
~ Hitting golf balls at the driving range with a cold beer.
~ Hearing birds chirp as I wake-up each morning.
~ Playing tennis on lazy afternoons.
~ Going on walks with friends.
~ Wearing sundresses, sweatshirts, flip-flops, and sunglasses.
~ Spring break with my best friends!

Where the Lord leads...

2010-03-03T22:29:00.000-08:00

I just arrived in St. Louis to visit Covenant Theological Seminary with my friends Austin and Vince. I've only been here an hour, but I already feel like I am as home as I can be this side of heaven. Tomorrow will be a day full of questions, classes, interviews, coffee, and conversations but my soul is already inclined to say 'yes' if only the Lord wills.

Trusting God's heart

2010-02-26T21:58:00.000-08:00

::: God broke me to the point of recognizing my own nothingness – where I CRYED OUT “God, I’ll go anywhere for you!”

::: Then he broke my heart for the Muslims and the Hindus in the 10/40 window to know Jesus – and I prayed with fervor that He would prepare me to go to Mumbai this summer.

::: Then he closed the door… and broke my heart again. Only, now, it’s hardest to understand why.

I find myself better understanding Charles Spurgeon as he said, "When we cannot trace God's hand, we must trust God's heart." That is all I can do.

::: Wonderful Resources :::

2010-02-25T13:01:00.000-08:00

I am exceedingly thankful for Joshua Harris' ministry at Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, MD. Their Resource Library shares a vast ocean of wisdom for free. Browse sermons by Topic, Date, Scripture, Speaker, Series, and Meeting/Context. Their archives include sermons from over 70 pastors, professors, and theologians including: Al Mohler, C.J. Mahaney, Donald Whitney, Jerry Bridges, Joshua Harris, Mark Dever, Thabiti Anyabwile, and Wayne Grudem. It's a great resource to check-out!

A Global Perspective on Persecution

2010-02-24T21:36:00.000-08:00

As I surfed The Voice of the Martyers Website I was nauseated by the satanic violence against the Gospel and the brutality of persecution against Christians. My heart ached as I looked through their map explaining Restricted Nations. At the very least, let us open our eyes to the injustice and persection that our brothers and sisters and enduring by faith.

Afghanistan is 97.89% Muslim, 0.02% Christian, and "Anyone who acknowledges faith in Christ experiences intense persecution, including death. Persecution normally comes from family members and neighbors, while police and government officials turn a blind eye."
In Nepal "An extremist group called the Nepal Defense Army... have the stated goal of reestablishing Nepal as a Hindu kingdom by targeting Christians and other non-Hindus." Their nation is 74.82% Hindu, 16% Buddhist, and 1.89% Christian.
Uzbekistan is 83.5% Muslim and 1.28% Christian, "This past year, officials cracked down on Christians throughout Uzbekistan. In southeast Uzbekistan, police have campaigned to prevent children from attending worship services. The campaign, which uses the state-controlled mass media, attacks schools and parents who allow children to attend religious 'sects.'"
Through-out Kuwait, "Only Muslims may become citizens. Foreign Christians have the freedom to live and work in Kuwait, but they must worship in a physical location within their own Christian community. Evangelism to Kuwaitis is forbidden. Kuwaitis who convert to Christianity publicly face harassment and arrest. The government discourages Christianity by providing financial incentives for Muslims." Kuwait is 87.43% Muslim and 8.17% Christian.
"Saudi Arabia is the second most repressive nation in the world for Christians. Converts from Islam to Christianity are rare in this nation. Barriers to spreading the gospel are intense. Leaving Islam is punishable by death. Anyone who does mission work or converts a Muslim faces jail, expulsion, lashing, torture or execution. Public non-Muslim worship, even for foreign Christians, is prohibited. Christians are regularly imprisoned or deported, and Christian churches are banned. Saudi Arabia is a main source of funding for madrassas (Islamic religious schools) worldwide, where extremism can breed."
In Somalia, "Just one percent of Somalis are Christians — most are secret believers. It is difficult to know the exact number of underground churches. Islamic radicals, who have vowed to wipe out all Somali Christians, have murdered many. Persecution has intensified in the past 15 years. Persecutors are family members, clan members, Islamist extremists and local administrators. Distribution of the Somali Bible is possible only in refugee camps and outside the country."

Let us pray for our brothers and sisters in these dark nations! Oh, that we wouldn't forget them in the comfort and ease of our lives here!

The Lie "But I'm not called"

2010-02-22T08:01:00.000-08:00

Four months ago, the thought of the 10/40 window filled me with thankfulness for those willing to go, as well as a silent fear of ever being forced or dragged there myself. I was most comfortable assuming that I was not called to missions. Brothers and sisters passionate about taking the Good News to the unreached were frightening and awe-inspiring in light of my own fears and hesitations. I believed that God could use me much more fruitfully and joyfully in America, where it's safe, comfortable, and familiar.

But only a selfish and idolatrous heart could be convinced that it's best to put limits and conditions on serving the Lord. As a friend reminded me yesterday, Jesus made it explicitly clear to his disciples that the Gospel must be taken to all the nations - not just where we are comfortable taking it. "And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14).

Keith Green, from The Traveling Team, writes that the most commonly heard excuse for not going into full-time Christian service in a foreign country is: "But I'm not called." Green continues:

You don't know how many people I've met who have said to me, I agree that more people need to go to the mission field, but I've never heard God tell me to go." Well, the truth is that God has already told you to go in His Word. In fact, He commands you to "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15) That's right - YOU ARE CALLED! In fact, if you don't go, you need a specific calling from God to stay home. Has God definitely told you not to "go" somewhere outside your country to preach the Gospel? If He hasn't, then you'd better start praying WHERE to go, instead of if you should go-for again, you're already called.

Even if I don't feel like going to the mission field, I am commanded to go! I am called to go! Comfort and ease are not valid arguments against God's commands in Scripture. In Kevin DeYoung's book Just Do Something he expands upon "the will of God" from Scripture, and his writing is most clarifying in such a discussion. On the first side is God's will of decree. DeYoung writes, "This refers to what God has ordained. Everything that comes to pass is according to God's sovereign decree. And all that He decrees will ultimately come to pass. God's will of decree cannot be thwarted. It is immutable and fixed." God's will of decree is foundation to our faith. God has ordained that Jesus Christ will return again, and on that day every knee will bow and tongue confess that He is God. If God's will of decree can be thwarted - than who knows if Jesus will come back again?! And then we are left to walking by fear instead of by faith! I love that God's will of decree is immutable and fixed!

DeYoung continues, the other side of the coin is God's will of desire. "This refers to what God has commanded - what He desires from His creatures. If the will of decree is how things are, the will of desire is how things ought to be." This is where Mark 16:15 fits in, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature." God has commanded that His children go and preach the Gospel through-out the world. He desires the good news of Jesus Christ to go forth! I don't have to guess what God's desire is for me in this case, because God made it crystal clear in His Word.

However, most of the time when we are making such decisions, we are really looking for God's will of direction. What does God want me to do with my life? When and where should I go? Who will I go with? Those are the questions we ask when we are seeking God's will of direction? We want to know His individual, specific plan for the who, what, when, and how of our lives. However, DeYoung questions, "Does God have a secret will of direction that He expects us to figure out before we do anything? And the answer is no... He does not burden us with the task of divining His will of direction for our lives ahead of time." These questions are not meant to be our focus. We easily deceive and confuse ourselves when we lose sight of God's will of decree and desire in search of His will of direction for our lives.

I love DeYoung's conclusion:

Trusting is God's will of decree is good. Following His will of desire is obedient. Waiting for God's will of direction is a mess... The better way is the biblical way: Seek first the kingdom of God, and then trust that He will take care of our needs, even before we know what they are and where we're going.

What a freeing lens to view missions through! I don't need to lose sleep over choosing the "right" or "wrong" plan for my life and ministry. I must "Seek first the kingdom of God" through trusting in God's sovereignty and obediently following His commands - "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature," "Go and make disciples of all nations," "Follow me; and allow the dead to bury their own dead," "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake and the Gospel's shall save it." It's so clear when we surrender our plans to God! Wisely following his will of desire is our direction!!

It's wonderful news that in another four short months I'm able to go on a Summer Project as part of my job! I have an opportunity to live-out the transformation that God worked in my heart towards missions. I couldn't be more excited and humbled to be going on the Gateway Summer Project. The 10/40 window - my previous "hell" has now called and captured my heart to joyfully take the Gospel there. What a privilege to live in obedience to God, the author and perfecter of my faith!

To read Keith Green's full article, The Most Commonly Heard Excuses, click here.
For more on The Traveling Team, click here.

Wisdom from D.A. Carson

2010-02-16T11:17:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Melissa and I found ourselves on a road-trip to Chicago in search of wisdom as we consider attending seminary in the near future. The purpose, although not the highlight, was to explore Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL. As we mingled with current and prospective students, heard from the admissions office, toured the campus, attended a class, ate deep dish pizza with the professors, and scoured the bookstore we grew in understanding of self and seminary. Trinity is an academically rigorous and theologically diverse seminary. With it's Evangelical Free background, there is freedom for professors and students to agree to disagree. It is also one of the most academically demanding seminaries in the country, with a nationally recognized masters in Mental Health Counseling. This masters program was my point of interest in the seminary.

Perhaps the most memorable and insightful experience was when Melissa and I shared in the excitement and the privilege of sitting down with New Testament scholar, D.A. Carson. We left the Admissions Office presentation to seek input from Dr. Carson, a professor whom we have already learned to greatly respect through his preaching and writing. The question that we posed to Dr. Carson aimed at the core of our seminary selection process. Why would Dr. Carson, a Reformed New Testament scholar, president of The Gospel Coalition, choose to teach at Trinity, an Evangelical Free and theologically diverse seminary? And how should two young women, who align with Carson's theological stance, make an informed decision about attending such a seminary?

Dr. Carson was wise to remind us that every church, seminary, and ministry has its imperfections. There are aspects of Trinity that Dr. Carson does not fully agree with, yet he continues to stand by his decision to teach at Trinity. It's Evangelical Free background has guarded him, as well as others, from crudely characterizing other theologies. At Trinity, you'll think twice before stereotyping or ridiculing a Lutheran, Armenian, etc because you can be sure there is one just down the hall. What a blessing for humility and unity! Furthermore, Dr. Carson noted that students at Trinity tend to respond to the theologically diverse teachings in one of two ways. Some students, upon observing that Professor A and Professor B can not agree on a particular topic, decide that they can not possibly reach their own conclusion on the matter, and give-up all together. Other students will obverse that Professor A and Professor B do not agree, be challenged in their faith, fight to discover truth, and be better off for having gone through the challenge. Students must be willing to face these questions and challenges in order to thrive at Trinity.

However, Dr. Carson encouraged me that if I have confidence that reformed theology most glorifies God (as he similarly does), it is not prideful to seek a seminary which teaches from that specific and unified theological stance as long as I have been exposed to other teachings. Westminster and other reformed seminaries might be best for me, and I need not be afraid of that. Trinity is not the right fit for everyone, and Dr. Carson wisely warned me not to be a 'loving post-modern lass who is afraid to tell anyone they are wrong'. Ouch.

I'm excited to continue to gain wisdom from Dr. Carson as I read The Cross and Christian Ministry, a book that Melissa and I picked-up from Trinity's bookstore.

It couldn't have been a better weekend.

"People do not drift toward Holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated." - D.A. Carson

So, Do You Gossip?

2010-02-10T21:53:00.000-08:00

Gossip
-noun
Idle talk or rumor, esp. about the personal or private affairs of others: the endless gossip about Hollywood stars.
-verb
To talk idly, esp. about the affairs of others; go about tattling

Is it Gossip if I tell my roommate a story about our mutual friend?

A story about an unknown or irrelevant friend?

'News' about a celebrity?

What if the story is about something embarrassing my friend did, and we laugh about it?

Perhaps the story is about sinful decisions a girl made, and we pridefully criticize and condemn her?

Consider the story is about my friend hurting me, and my roommate is now 'on my side'?

Or if the story is about someone's conflict, and she counsels me in how to handle it?

What if it's just a fun story, and you can't wait to tell her?

When does talk become Gossip and Gossip become talk?

Our words hold great power and weight. They have the ability to build-up as well as the strength to tear-down. In Paul's letter to the Ephesians he commands, "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." We must choose our words wisely to prevent destructive and deadening talk from coming out of our mouths. Among other things, this includes slander and gossip. Furthermore, we are commanded to talk only in a manner that encourages, edifies, and blesses those who hear. Our words have weight because they effect those who hear them - and we will be held accountable for the effects of our words on others.

Perhaps I need to be much more cautious when I talk about the lives and affairs of others. However, a conviction is never meant to be shallow, for our sin is never shallow but deep within our hearts. Therefore, I must confess that I gossip not because I cannot contain my mouth, but because my heart is sinful and utterly depraved. "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks" (Matthew 12:34). It is not my mouth I must repent of, but the sin in my heart that leads to gossip.

On the topic of 'Gossip' John Piper writes:

The New Testament warns against gossiping. The Greek word translated “gossip” means whisper or whisperer. In other words, the focus is not on the falsehood of the word but on the fact that it needs to be surreptitious. It is not open and candid and forthright. It has darkness about it. It does not operate in the light of love. It is not aiming at healing. It strokes the ego’s desire to be seen as right without playing by the rules of love. "For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find...that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder" (2 Corinthians 12:20).

It is the darkness in our hearts that leads to the outpouring of Gossip from our mouths. This is a deep rooted issue with immediate and far reaching effects.

Is this a sin that we don't take seriously enough?

Childlike Faith

2010-02-07T10:30:00.000-08:00

Junior year I took a religion class called "Jesus and the Gospels" which was a study of the "contradictions" and similarities of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. Our professor lectured about history, scholarly research, and doubt... a painful drone of information taken from a worldview opposed to the Godly inspiration of the Scriptures. As I would sit through class I would doodle "I just want to love Jesus!" in the margins of my notes. Partially I was only joking, but another part of my heart and soul was pleading for the beauty of childlike faith in Jesus. In Matthew 10:15 Jesus says, "Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

Sept 2006, my second month walking with Jesus, I attended Greek LIFE for the first time. I wrote in my notes that night:

I felt an over-whelming power of love for God through the prayers and words at Greek LIFE... I felt on fire with everyone's glowing love for God. I am alive with anticipation of our future meetings, Bible studies, and out-reaches. Thank you Lord for helping me find such an amazing group of individuals and for bringing us all together tonight to celebrate our love for you. Your love has pierced my heart, and I pray that you may continue to fill me with faith and love. Amen.

October 2006, my third month walking with Jesus, I attended REVERB (now called Cru) for the first time. Reflecting on that night I wrote:

I went to REVERB last night with Allie, Kelly, and Shannon for the first time, it was AMAZING :) A student spoke about finding God during Fall Retreat after a period of confusion and personal anguish. He cried over his need to find God in his life, and it made me want to cry thinking about how much Stephanie, and now Allie, have guided and inspired me to find God in my life. If they hadn't reached out to me I might now have found Christianity at this time in my life. That idea, that the words and encouragement of these two women have made such an amazing difference in my life, inspires me to grow in my faith and share it with others. By the time REVERB ended I felt overwhelmed with passion and excitement. I could feel the love of God, and the joy that His love has brought every person in that room with me. It reminded me all over again how blessed I am to be in a growing relationship with God.

November 2006, my forth month walking with Jesus, reflecting on Fuzzie Fellowship (my sorority Bible study) I wrote:

It's really hard for me to listen to these girl's uncertainties and questions and not know how to respond. I can feel my faith burning inside of me but I feel dumbfounded and inadequate to explain God's glory.... It's all making me think two different things. First, that I need to have faith, and remember to put my trust in God. I feel like I'm trying too hard to do things on my own, and I can't do it alone. I can't do it without trusting God to guide me. But, on the other hand, it's making me feel like I'm blind in my faith because I don't question like these girls do... I don't know if I need to ask more questions. If I can't answer someone else's questions then I obviously have some of my own, whether I realize it or not. Lord, please give me strength and show me the ways to find these questions and answers.

As I've continued to walk with Jesus I've sought out many of these questions and answers. My mini library is clear proof that I refuse to have blind faith. But have I fled from the childlike faith that Jesus calls us to? As David Powlison says, "Human beings instinctively oscillate between two sinful extremes." Although I tend to 'stick' on the objective, theological side I do sometimes swing towards that subjective, feelings based (blind; "I just want to love Jesus!") side of faith. Children are certainly not snoody scholars, but they are also not blind. They are inquisitive, yet trusting, as they joyfully explore within the protection and guidance of their parents. The Holy Spirit and the Word of God has set me free to live in this third way. This third, childlike way neither denies feelings nor stands on them alone. It is the path of walking with Jesus, knowing Him more intimately, and trusting Him more deeply, all by faith.

A Conceptual Framework

2010-02-01T08:44:00.000-08:00

There are significant parallels between counseling, discipling, and parenting. Although my job primarily calls me to disciple younger women I find that I daily practice counseling and I occasionally wonder if I've (perhaps wrongly?) wandering into the land of parenting as well. As I consider, Lord willing, the ministry of Christian counseling for my future I have sought a greater understanding of counseling. Parenting will come with time, again, if the Lord wills, but within this topic there is no rush.

As I have read and discussed the topic of counseling I have gleaned a great depth of knowledge from David Powlison. In Powlison's book Seeing With New Eyes he elaborates upon the conceptual - a view of people and problems - in the first book of his series addressing Biblical counseling. Powlison writes:

Concepts are the first and defining ingredient in any system of counseling. Every theory defines its version of human nature and the dynamics of human motivation. Every theory defines or assumes an ideal of human functioning by which problems and named and solutions prescribed: right and wrong, value and stigma, true and false, good and bad, sound and defective, healthy and pathological, solution and problem.

One cannot begin the process of counseling without first narrating through and defining their understanding of mankind. As Powlison notes, "part of knowing any person well is learning what he or she typically lives for - the pattern of desires." A great deal of counseling and discipling begins with understanding their desires! "But naming what you want is the easy part. The harder part is this: how should you now interpret what you've identified?" Being able so ask questions, listen, and understand a person is only the first step in counseling (initiating intentionally helpful conversations), but we must be guided by God and good teaching as we tackle interpretation. Our interpretation will have everything to do with our conceptual framework of human nature and motivation. And only once desires are correctly interpreted can one move towards transformation, reconciliation, and healing.

As I counsel, disciple, and perhaps parent I seek to invite people to an inner transformation of mind, heart, motive, will, identity, and emotions. Without a clear goal I am left to the dangerous vulnerability of leading younger women towards haphazard and directionless transformation. Therefore, my conceptual framework is of most importance as I minister to younger women.

A last word from Powlison:

Souls are curred, but they also sicken in new ways. Souls always need more curring. In the counseling context, you often witness such ambiguities. The positive effects of good, true, and beautiful counsel coexist - uneasily, you hope - with the negative effective of counsel that is bad, untrue, and deformed.

Let us who shepherd and counsel do it well!

I Thank God for Good Books and Amazing Pastors

2010-01-28T21:56:00.000-08:00

A Look Inside Mohler's Study:

Al Mohler - Study Video from Together for the Gospel (T4G) on Vimeo.
(I was in Mohler's study last Fall - it REALLY is amazing!!! I pray my future husband has such a study one day...)

Ohhh how badly I want to attend T4G 2010! Featuring Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan, C.J. Mahaney, and Albert Mohler with Thabiti Anyabwile, John MacArthur, John Piper, and R.C. Sproul, in Louisville, KY April 13-15th. Words fall short of my desire to attend this conference!

One Great Reason

2010-01-27T14:20:00.000-08:00

“Every government, every war, every plague, every bit of persecution, everything that has ever occurred in every corner of the world exists for one reason alone – God’s great gospel. It pushes and drives everything. Do you know how the gospel left Jerusalem? Stephen was martyred. Do you know how Christianity got here? The Puritans were being persecuted. So they hopped on a boat and came over. Everything is about what God is doing. This is what you’re caught up in. This is what’s happening. We’re right in the thick of it. This is the story of creation. There is no other story. Every other story is a footnote in this story. And if you go back and look at it historically, you can find how it pushed, played and exalted this story.”

– Matt Chandler, Pastor, The Village Church

Loving the Church

2010-01-26T05:33:00.000-08:00

Are there right and wrong reasons to love the church?

Joshua Harris answers YES in Wrong Reasons to Love the Church:

Do you love the church? Romans 12:10 tells Christians to "Love one another with brotherly affection."

The affection and love we're to have for fellow-Christians is to be based on the work of Jesus Christ for us. It's not about elitism, it's not because Christians are better than anyone else, it certainly isn't because Christians are necessarily more lovable. We love the church because we love the Savior who redeemed the church.

Read the rest by Joshua Harris.

Unbound Without Love

2010-01-24T20:07:00.000-08:00

To believe in a powerful, sovereign God is misery if we do not also see that He is a loving, merciful God. In Paul's letter to the church at Colossae he exhorts them to "put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony" (3:14). There is a "unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (a state of reconciliation and love)" which unites all believers to one another and to Christ. Paul further addresses the Ephesians, "And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (Ephesians 5:2). We walk with Christ by walking in love, but until we see Christ's direction as love we will be unable to follow him thus.

Without love we are unbound. Unbound from each other and unbound from Christ. We depart from the body and we walk unfamiliar from Christ. Not literally, for it is God's love that saves us and keeps us, but relationally, emotionally, and conditionally we are wandering stray and unbound without love. So to know God as a powerful and sovereign God, but to forget that He is a loving God hinders us from walking near Him. We might fearfully tiptoe under His lordship, knowing that His hand has great might. But we cannot joyfully worship Him aside from resting in His love and mercy. Just cognitively knowing of God's love without putting it on and savoring it will do no good. We must learn the intimacy of our God. We must know God as loving and merciful or will shall find ourselves miserable and unbound.

Religious Affections and Haiti

2010-01-21T21:12:00.000-08:00

In A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections Jonathan Edwards lays before his readers the biblical foundation of true religion: the affections. One’s affections are “no other than the more vigorous and sensible exercises of the inclination and the will of the soul.”

Edwards is not talking about one’s logical understanding or sudden passions, but the deepest enduring propensity of one’s heart. He makes clear the true religion is not found in fleeting emotions. Nor is it found in external change or performance. Rather, true religion lies in the affections of the soul. Edwards writes, “ That religion which God requires, and will accept, does not consist in weak, dull, and lifeless wishes, raising us but a little above a state of indifference: God, in His word, greatly insists upon it, that we be in good earnest, “fervent in spirit,” and our hearts vigorously engaged in religion.”

Edwards so powerful writes:

If we be not in good earnest in religion, and our wills are inclinations be not strongly exercises, we are nothing. The things of religion are so great, that there can be no suitableness in the exercises of our hearts to their nature and importance, unless they be lively and powerful. In nothing is vigor in the actings of our inclinations so requisite as in religion; and in nothing is lukewarmness so odious. True religion is evermore a powerful thing; and the power of it appears, in the first place in the inward exercises of it in the heart, where is the principle and original seat of it.

Religious affection originates in the heart, and once it is thus rooted it grows outward with great strength. Therefore, true religious affections will bring about the stirring-up of grief, compassion, and hope in response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti. And it is this inclination which governs us in our actions! Out of our grief we must be moved toward prayer. Our compassion must arouse us to give, send, go, or sacrifice. Furthermore, our hope frees us to trust in God’s great plan of redemption for every lost life and suffering child. These responses, without the deeper roots of religious affections will be beneficial, yet short-lived. Many of the aids and funds will run dry as history has demonstrated, but if we are driven by Christ’s love for lost and suffering people we will persevere in serving Haiti. We ought to be humbled by such a great responsibility and privilege to serve and comport the men, women, and children suffering in Haiti. Let us not grow weary or fainthearted while so many remain in need.

Their God is Their Belly

2010-01-18T22:21:00.000-08:00

Philippians 3:17-21

Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Verse 19 states four truths about those who walk as enemies of the cross of Christ:
1. Their end is destruction (final judgment)
2. Their god is their belly (themselves)
3. They glory in their shame
4. Their minds are set on earthy things (worldliness)

Their god is their belly (themselves):
In the conclusion of Paul's letter to the Roman church he warmly greets those he knows in Rome who are involved in ministry, showing the love that existed among Christians. Just after his detailed and loving greeting he turns to warn the Roman church "watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them" (16:17). His specific description of these divisive men is that, "such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites [their own belly], and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive" (v 18). These men who serve their own appetites are lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God (2 Timothy 3:4). They seek personal fulfillment and self-worship above all else. Therefore, their lives are spent in pursuit of satisfaction rooted in selfish and empty desires.

Paul's wording "their god is their belly" might sound crazy - but it's widely prevalent in the lives of the lost and the sins of the saved. What are you spending your life pursuing? How far will you go for the sake of personal pleasure? If necessary, will you turn against God to get your 'fix' and 'fulfillment'? Who or what is your god? Is it Jesus Christ? Your mouth might say one thing... but your actions could say another. Does a desire for comfort and pleasure prevent you from doing what you should do? Do you live as if your personal pleasure is separate and more rewarding than God?

To be satisfied with your god as your belly is the fruit (evidence) that you walk as an enemy of the cross of Christ. To be satisfied loving pleasure more than you love God is a big deal.

DO the Word

2010-01-15T21:25:00.000-08:00

Jesus' final teaching from the sermon on the mount is a lesson of preparation for the storms of life. Jesus warns the crowds that rain will fall, winds will blow, and floods will come. In the midst of the storms of life, what matters is what foundation our house is built on.

Matthew 9:24-27

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.

We will hear God's Word, and we will build a house. The rains will come, the wind will blow, the flood will rage. But what distinguishes between the wise man and the foolish man is what they build their house on. The man who DOES the Word of God builds his house on rock. The man who DOES NOT DO the Word of God builds his house on sand. It's not about IF the storms will come. They will. It's not even about hearing the word of God, because we do. It's about DOING the Word of God. THAT is what makes the difference when the storms of life come.

At our core: Worldview

2010-01-12T20:14:00.000-08:00

I have been enjoying CrossTalk Where Life & Scripture Meet by Michael R. Emlet, and I was particularly struck by Emlet's insights into the centrality of man's worldview. Emlet writes, "Each person (or community) asks and answers foundational questions about the nature of life, consciously or subconsciously. The answers we give to these questions characterize our “worldview,” our “take” on the nature of reality” (p 67). The most revealing approach to understanding a person is understanding their worldview. A worldview describes a consistent (to a varying degree) and integral sense of existence and provides a framework for generating, sustaining, and applying knowledge. However, just as a man's worldview takes a lifetime to develop, it will take thought and consideration to seek it out.

Brain Walse and J. Richard Middlton propose four basic worldview questions:
1. Where are we? That is, what is the nature of the world in which we live?
2. Who are we? Or, what is the essential nature of human beings?
3. What’s wrong? That is, why is the world (and my life) in such a mess?
4. What’s the remedy? Or, how can these problems be solved?

As I serve in full-time student ministry these questions are not overt, but concealed within each conversation. They are the questions I ask myself; therefore prompting many of the questions I verbalize. They are important, not so that I can learn the worldview of each student as an end in itself, but because only through understanding their worldview can I minister to them. I step into their world by understanding how they see the world, by getting behind the lens they wear each day.

On pages 67-68, Emlet states:

These questions – and how we answer them – form the narrative backbone of our lives. They shape the way we interpret life events, from the mundane (no milk in the refrigerator for the breakfast cereal) to the horrific (loss of children in a car accident). They shape our view of ourselves and others. They shape our vision of what constitutes a meaningful life, even a meaningful moment. They shape our beliefs, emotions, and decisions every day. Everybody has an overarching story he or she lives by, moment by moment. Everybody is a meaning marker with categories for making sense of life. Reality does not come to us unfiltered by always through the lens of our perception. The real question is, What lens will we use? What story, what narrative will we use to see the world and interpret our lives?*

Not only must worldviews be investigated and understood, but often they must be challenged and changed. Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III, Senior Minister of First Presbyterian Church in Jackson contrasted the biblical worldview with 10 “isms” that are at odds with Christianity. His list reveals some of the dangerous beliefs wrongly incorporated into today's worldviews:

1. Life does not revolve around self.
Individualism: The self is the prime reality.
2. Truth exists and matters.
Relativism: there is no such thing as absolutes or morality.
3. What you believe informs everything you do, and what you do shows what you really believe.
Secularism: Religion must be kept out of all public spheres.
4. Real tolerance is not (and cannot be) based on relativism. All roads do not lead up the mountain!
Pluralism: All views, values, and lifestyles must be accorded equal standing.
5. Not everything that works is right.
Pragmatism: Whatever works is right.
6. Not all change is good.
Progressivism: Change is always good and progress is inevitable.
7. Our technology does not give us the ability to solve every human problem.
Rationalization (or Technophilia) Technology can solve all our problems
8. This material world is not all that there is.
Naturalism: Reality is material.
9. Freedom does not mean doing what I want to do.
Antinomianism: Freedom is right and it means I can do whatevery I want to do.
10. You are worse than you think you are. You are what you are alone, when no one sees you.
Privatism: Private life and public life have no necessary connection.

We could all benefit from asking ourselves Walse & Middlton's four questions... and considering where we fit with Duncan's comments. Perhaps we have grown too accustom to our own lens and fail to question our worldviews stringently enough...

*Joe B. Green, “The (Re-)Turn to Narrative” in Narrative Reading, Narrative Preaching: Reuniting New Testament Interpretation and Proclamation

Glad in Him

2010-01-09T23:01:00.000-08:00

Tonight I gathered together with friends to worship Jesus Christ for who He is. As we sung together I was amazed - a voice in itself may sound exceedingly beautiful, but the stirring of affections for the Lord pouring forth in song and praise is far more beautiful a sound. There is little in this life as pure as the voices of God's children united in praise and worship. It was a revitalizing night for a wandering soul.

As we sang together I read the words of the psalmist, who declares that there is nothing better than to commit our welfare to God. It is both wise and worshipful to unhesitatingly cast ourselves with confidence, and with a cheerful heart, upon the paternal care of God.

Our soul waits for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.
For our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you. (Psalm 33:20-22)

To live in the song of the psalmist is to be empowered to joyfully wait for the Lord. The Lord who's name is trustworthy because of who He is; because He is holy.

In great wisdom John Calvin comments on this psalm:

Surely God shall always be our joy; surely his holy name shall be like an impregnable fortress for our refuges. Whence is it that believers continue perseveringly to call upon God, but because, satisfied with his favor, they have always, amidst their sorrows and griefs, this comfort, which is sufficient to maintain their cheerfulness? Justly, therefore, do believers affirm, in the first place, that their heart rejoices in the Lord; because, freed from wandering after the fascinations of the world, they neither waver nor hesitate at every change of fortune, but place the whole felicity of their lives in enjoying the free and paternal favor of God.

God is our almighty help and unconquerable shield. Believing this, we can trust Him and we will not be disappointed. To put our hope in man is to continually be disillusioned, naked, and abandoned. O, what misery that is! Yet to hope in the Lord is endless joy and gladness. We are freed from the empty promises of the world - we need not stand on them any longer! Instead, we are called to put the hope of our hearts and lives in the hands of our loving Father who's name is holy.

All Nations

2010-01-06T00:55:00.000-08:00

Philippians 2

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (v. 2:1-9)

As the body of Christ, our mind is meant to be the same; it is meant to be one. And our singular, unified mind comes from Christ Jesus who perfectly taught and modeled how we ought to think. His thinking was grounded in selfless humility. GOD - was humble. And this humility in thinking led to humility in action - He "made himself nothing". Humility is a requirement of service, sacrifice, and obedience to God which Jesus fulfilled to the point of death.

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (v. 10-11)

At the name of Jesus Christ every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord. In other words, every one will be humbled before Jesus. There will be no exception. However, we will either do it for our eternal joy or our eternal torment, dependent on personal faith in Jesus Christ during this life time. Either way, every one will be humbled and Jesus Christ will be highly exalted to the glory of God the Father!

Therefore, my beloved,as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me. without blemish. (v. 12-18)

Just as Jesus' humility of mind led to humility of action (service, sacrifice, and obedience to God) our humility before Him should also lead to obedience. And this is what our obedience should look like: working out our salvation with fear and trembling, doing all things without grumbling or questioning, shinning as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, rejoicing with gladness. This obedience is lived out by the "children of God". This obedience is lived out "in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation" - that is where we shine. This obedience is lived out at all times. This obedience is lived out through God's strength, "for it is God who works in you". And this obedience is "to the glory of God the Father".

I am a child of God, living in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, called to shine as a light to this world, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to the glory of God the Father. I have the opportunity (and with God, the ability) to lose my life for Christ's sake and therefore save it.

"GO therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

The question isn't "Should I go?" but "Where should I go?"

The 10/40 Window

The 10/40 Window is home to the majority of the world's unevangelized (crooked and twisted) countries. While it constitutes only 1/3 of earth's total land area, nearly 2/3 of the world's people reside in the 10/40 Window... How could I not go?

"God does not find our requests too big, He finds our dreams too small." -C.S. Lewis

Wrecked and Repentance

2010-01-02T20:26:00.000-08:00

Wrecked into Redemption: IndyCC 2009

On my drive home from IndyCC I listened to Matt Chandler's sermon series on Repentance and I felt like it was meant to fit with, and expound upon, the conference. Listen to or read Chander's sermons below:

Repentance (Part 1) A Jealous God
PDF Notes (Part 1)
Repentance (Part 2) Good Guilt
PDF Notes (Part 2)
Repentance (Part 3) A Theology of Struggle
PDF Notes (Part 3)

Be Armed

2009-12-23T11:48:00.001-08:00

The brilliant words of Bishop J.I. Ryle, written over a century ago:

You live in a world where your soul is in constant danger. Enemies are round you on every side. Your own heart is deceitful. Bad examples are numerous. Satan is always laboring to lead you astray. Above all false doctrine and false teachers of every kind abound. This is your great danger.

To be safe you must be well armed. You much provide yourself with the weapons which God has given you for your help. You must store your mind with Holy Scriptures. This is to be well armed.

Arm yourself with a thorough knowledge of the written Word of God. Read you Bible regularly. Become familiar with your Bible... Neglect your Bible and nothing that I know of can prevent you from error if a plausible advocate of false teaching shall happen to meet you. Make it a rule to believe nothing except it can be proved from Scripture. The Bible alone is infallible... Do you really use your Bible as you ought?

There are many today, who believe the Bible, yet read it very little. Does you conscious tell you that you are one of these persons?

If so, you are the man that is likely to get little help from the Bible in time of need. Trial is a sifting experience... Your store of Bible consolations may one day run very low.

If so, you are the man that is unlikely to become established in the truth. I shall not be surprised to hear that you are troubled with doubts and questions about assurance, grace, faith, perseverance, etc. The devil is an old and cunning enemy. He can quote Scripture readily enough when he pleases. Now you are not sufficiently ready with your weapons to fight a good fight with him... Your sword is held loosely in your hand.

If so, you are the man that is likely to make mistakes in life. I shall not wonder if I am told that you are having problems in your marriage, problems with your children, problems about the conduct of your family and about the company you keep. The world you steer through is full of rocks, shoals and sandbanks. You are not sufficiently familiar either with lighthouses or charts.

If so, you are the man who is likely to be carried away by some false teacher for a time. It will not surprise me if I hear that one of these clever eloquent men who can make a convincing presentation is leading you into error. You are in need of ballast (truth); no wonder if you are tossed to and fro like a cork on the waves.

All these are uncomfortable situations. I want you to escape them all. Take the advice I offer you today. Do not merely read your Bible a little - but read it a great deal... Remember your many enemies. Be armed.

Referenced from 18 Words by J.I. Packer

A century later John Piper repeats a similar message for us:

The Authority of Scripture

2009-12-18T15:03:00.000-08:00

Through the words of Paul's second letter to his beloved disciple, Timothy, God states:

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16)

These words boldly stress the divine origin and thus the authority of Scripture. Paul does not point to the human authors of Scripture as inspired people but says that the writings themselves are the words spoken (“breathed out”) by God! Why is Paul addressing the origin and authority of Scripture? It seems that Paul and Timothy's opponents (false teachers) stressed certain aspect or portions of Scripture and Paul stresses the authoritativeness of all of Scripture. Because Scripture comes from God himself, “all” of it is profitable in a range of ways, ultimately leading to righteousness.

Another author, almost 1800 years later addressed the question of the authority of Scripture from a much different lens. America's 3rd president, Thomas Jefferson, in making good on a promise to a friend to summarize his views on Christianity set to work with scissors, snipping out every miracle and "inconsistency" he could find in the New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Then, using a cut-and-paste technique, he reassembled the excerpts into what he believed was a more coherent narrative and pasted them onto blank paper.

In a letter dispatched from Monticello to John Adams in 1813, Jefferson said his "wee little book" of 46 pages was based on a lifetime of inquiry and reflection and contained "the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man." He called the book "The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth." Friends dubbed it "The Jefferson Bible."

Jefferson said, "I have performed the operation for my own use," he continued, "by cutting verse by verse out of the printed book, and arranging the matter, which is evidently his and which is as easily distinguished as diamonds in a dunghill."

Percival Everett, commenting on Jefferson's editing of the Bible said, "He decided that the rules of the club to which he wished to belong were not the rules he wanted to play by. So instead of changing clubs, he changed the rule book by literally cutting and pasting together only the sections that he found relevant to his interpretation."

What an offensive and sinful view of God's Word, that "diamonds" must be dug out of a "dunghill"! Jefferson attempted to nullify God's authority of writing and binding together Scripture because of what he believed in an attempt to create his own god. What a weak and worthless god Jefferson worshiped once we reduced the God who created the universe to one of his ignorant and worldly liking. Yet, are we much better than Jefferson when we pick up the Holy Scriptures?

I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; 9 likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. 11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.
1 Timothy 2:8-14

These words are weighty for any woman, especially one called to ministry. I continue to find myself faced with the question: How do I handle this passage of Scripture? In a culture breathing liberal and feminist air, what should I do in response to "I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quit"? Should I respond as God commanded through Paul, that I am meant to be taught, corrected, and trained by these words? Or shall I follow in Jefferson's footsteps and get out my scissors -- snip -- snip -- snip -- choosing what I want or don't want to view as authoritative?

Each of us make this decision every time we open the Bible. Today, many churches and ministries choose to ignore or personally interpret 1 Timothy 2:8-14. When God's Word is disregarded and a woman is given the authority to corporately teach from the Scriptures to men, a stance is not just taken on gender roles or personal liberties - but a stance is taken on the authority of the Holy Scriptures. (There is much more to this conversation about a woman's role in ministry which I will not breach today. Currently, my focus is on the foundational issue: one's view of the authority and inerrancy of Scripture.)

As John Frame says, "Since the Word is powerful, it never leaves you the same." Therefore, we are either changed in accordance with 2 Timothy 3:16 or we are hardened against it. I pray that I never, by God's grace, follow in Jefferson's footsteps as I read 1 Timothy 2:8-14 or any other passage of Scripture! I pray that God will guide me as as I seek the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

Attempting to be an Avid Reader

2009-12-18T12:42:00.000-08:00

The books I aspire to read/finish over Christmas break:

Future Grace by John Piper

Death by Love by Mark Driscoll

Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges

18 Words by J.I. Packer

Overcoming Sin & Temptation by John Owen

Keep In Step with The Spirit by J.I. Packer

Humility by C.J. Mahaney

That's a staggering number of pages, but I can smile because I already know that the content will be beautifully rich and refreshing. Here's to sitting by the fire with a glass of eggnog and a stack of books as I take it one page at a time...

Taste and See

2009-12-08T20:32:00.000-08:00

Here's why much of our generation reads Joel Osteen, Rob Bell, Erwin McManus, and other such authors. They have not yet read the soul shaping works of Jonathan Edwards.

“True virtue never appears so lovely as when it is oppressed; and the divine excellency of real Christianity is never exhibited with such advantage as when under the greatest trials: then it is that true faith appears much more precious than gold, and upon this account is “found to praise and honour and glory.” –Jonathan Edwards, Religious Affections

They are unfamiliar with John Owen, George Whitefield, and Charles Spurgen.

"...God has among the vilest of the vile, the most reprobate, the most debauched and drunken, an elect people who must be saved. When you take the Word to them, you do so because God has ordained you to be the messenger of life to their souls, and they must receive it, for so the decree of predestination runs. They are as much redeemed by blood as the saints before the eternal throne. They are Christ's property, and yet perhaps they are lovers of the ale-house, and haters of holiness; but if Jesus Christ purchased them He will have them....Tens of thousands of redeemed ones are not regenerated yet, but regenerated they must be; and this is our comfort when we go forth to them with the quickening Word of God." -Charles Spurgen

They misunderstand the beauty of John Calvin's teachings. They overlook to wisdom of John Piper. They have not known the life of William Carry.

"When I left England, my hope of India's conversion was very strong; but amongst so many obstacles, it would die, unless upheld by God. Well, I have God, and His Word is true. Though the superstitions of the heathen were a thousand times stronger than they are, and the example of the Europeans a thousand times worse; though I were deserted by all and persecuted by all, yet my faith, fixed on the sure Word, would rise above all obstructions and overcome every trial. God's cause will triumph." -William Carey, after 3 months in Kinmen

Most of our generation is yet to read truly BEAUTIFUL thoughts upon the Lord!

"Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!"
Psalm 34:8

They have not tasted and seen what is good. They are far too easily pleased. In Weight of Glory C.S. Lewis said it beautifully:

"We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

The ability for man, drink, sex, and ambition to stroke the cords of your heart is not difficult. Writing a book which catches your eye and relates to your soul cravings takes *some* talent. But I beg you, do not be so easily pleased with what you read. Raise the standards of who and what you allow to teach you.

In His hands

2009-12-07T22:33:00.001-08:00

God spent two months tearing apart my life plans, breaking my heart for missions, shattering the worldliness in my heart, pushing me to cry out 'I will go ANYWHERE!'... and then he closed the door for me to go. Did God just want me to be available where I'm at? Does He have another course to direct my steps? I'm upset at this inability to go... to do ministry in a place that, two months ago, was a personal hell for me to even consider going to... but now, I'm broken and willing to go.

But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? (Romans 9:20-21)

I am a finite human being without the right to rebelliously question God's ways. His knowledge is as far superior to mine as His holiness is to my sinfulness. I am a lump of clay in the hands of a holy holy holy Creator, and He will choose a shape and purpose for me at His own good pleasure. My true joy is found at the center of His shaping, not in my attempts to self-create or mold my own future. "But by the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Corinthians 15:10). Ohh that I might continue to trust more deeply in the beauty of God's sovereignty over my identity and life. I am thankful for the moments that tested and sanctified me this past day... although my heart did feel that it exploded through my throat at moments, I praise God in his infinite love. He is a God worth worshiping. I would freely give my life for His glory, yet it is already His.

A Video from Matt Chandler

2009-12-06T21:19:00.000-08:00

This video was taped of Matt Chandler a few days before his surgery and it was aired this weekend at The Village Church worship services. I pray your heart is challenged and encouraged by it; mine was.

Video from Matt

I am grateful for the men of God in my life, namely John Piper who taught me to hold my life cheap and to join with Paul in saying “I don’t count my life of any value or as precious to myself if only I might finish my course and complete the work that He gave me to do to testify to the Gospel of the grace of God. I’m nothing, I just have a job. God keep me faithful on the job and then let me drop and go to the reward.” Without this strong view of God’s sovereign will, I’m not sure how you don’t despair in circumstances like mine.

-Matt Chandler

Please pray for Matt Chandler and his family

2009-11-30T23:49:00.000-08:00

Matt Chandler, preaching pastor of The Village Church in Dallas, TX, suffered a seizure Thursday morning while at home, was taken to a nearby hospital and is now at home resting with his family. Please pray for Matt, Lauren, the kids, and the congregation.

The Village Church
The Village Church continues to post updates and opportunities to join in prayer

An update from the elders
The Village Church elders provide an encouraging update about Matt's health

Them Chandlers blog
Lauren shares about walking with the Lord in the midst of Matt's seizure

Turning to a different gospel

2009-11-30T22:10:00.001-08:00

Joel Osteen's church, which recently relocated to the former arena of the Houston Rockets, boasts the largest congregation in the history of America, averaging more then 30,000 a week. Osteen took over the church in 1999 and has increased the size of the congregation almost five-fold since then. His book, "Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living Your Full Potential" has sold almost 3 million copies and is a New York Time's best seller. Yet, the brand of Christianity Osteen is offering is mild, shallow, and seems to be a kind of dim-witted boosterism simply designed to get you through the week. He has been called "prosperity gospel's coverboy," and John Piper speaks strongly against the "Health, Wealth, Prosperity Gospel" which Joel Osteen is known for (see John Piper on The Prosperity Gospel).

Although Osteen can boast the largest congregation in America his impact is not ultimately determined by church attendance or book sales but by the content of the Gospel he preaches. So I care little for Osteen's popularity (my only concern to the shudder and pray for his soul and for the thousands he has led astray), but I care much more about the content of his Gospel. In his letter to the Galatians Paul is a model of forthright frankness when central gospel issues are at stake.

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:6-9)

The gospel is unchanging. No pastor can rightly add or take away from the Gospel - it is an objective truth. Thus Paul pronounces a curse of final judgment on those who proclaim or receive a different gospel. Even if he himself, or an angel from heaven, were to preach such a gospel, the Galatians should reject it. Paul doesn't take this lightly and neither should we. So why do 30,000 men and women regularly put on their Sunday-best to hear Osteen's preaching?

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:10)

The "Health, Wealth, Prosperity Gospel" pleases man in his greediness, and I don't doubt that Osteen knows that by now. A pastor who seeks the approval of man can quickly grow his church, while simultaneously revealing that he is not truly a servant of Christ. It is obvious that Osteen's congregation will fill the arena seats, buy copies of "Your Best Life Now", and rejoice as God provides. But try to find men and women in Osteen's church who desire to pick up their cross daily, who embrace persecution for the sake of the Gospel, who cry out "To live is Christ, To die is gain!"... because you won't find them there. Only the true Gospel brings about true disciples of Christ - because there is no other Gospel.

My Sense of Humor

2009-11-24T21:27:00.000-08:00

Reasons to Laugh Out Loud...

Great Christian Pick-up Lines:
I could not help but notice you were exegeting me instead of the text during the sermon.
Your name must be grace, because you are irresistible.
Nice braclet. What would Jesus date? I mean "do"
Can I buy you a non-alcoholic beverage?
Do you believe in Divine appointment?
Now i know why Solomon had 700 wives... Because he never met you.
What?! Friends listen to Amazing Grace in the dark.
Hi, my name's Will...God's Will
What's your name and number so I can add you to my "prayer" list?
You put the "cute" back in persecution!
Hey.. i would work 7 years for your sister.. But I would work 7 more years for you.
How many times do I have to walk around you to make you fall for me?
How would you like to join my Purpose Driven Life?
I'm interested in full time ministry, and not only that... I also play the guitar.
So, my parents are home, you wanna come over?
You're totally depraved but I'd still like to go out with you...
Mark Driscoll takes up 35% of my ipod memory.
Me. You. Song of Songs: the remix.
I have familiarised myself with all 5 love languages, in fact, I invented 4 of them.

The heretic
I was walking across a bridge one day, and I saw a man standing on the edge, about to jump off. So I ran over and said, "Stop! Don't do it!" "Why shouldn't I?" he said. I said, "Well, there's so much to live for!" He said, "Like what?" I said, "Well, are you religious or atheist?" He said, "Religious." I said, "Me too! Are your Christian or Buddhist?" He said, "Christian." I said, "Me too! Are you Catholic or Protestant?" He said, "Protestant." I said, Me too! Are your Episcopalian or Baptist? He said, "Baptist!" I said, "Wow! Me too! Are your Baptist Church of God or Baptist Church of the Lord? He said, Baptist Church of God!" I said, "Me too! Are your Original Baptist Church of God or are you Reformed Baptist Church of God?" He said, "Reformed Baptist Church of God!" I said, "Me too! Are you Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1879, or Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1915?" He said, "Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1915!" I said, "Die, heretic scum!" and pushed him off.

Church Sign Ideas:
"PRAY NOW! Avoid Christmas Rush!"
"Sign broken, some inside for message."
"This is a ch--ch. What's missing? U R!"
"Wal-Mart's not the only savings place."

A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, 5, Ryan, 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. “If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, ‘Let my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.’ Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, “Ryan, you be Jesus!”

How many people does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A Presbyterian Pastor responded, “None. If God wants the bulb screwed in he is sovereign and will do it himself without human effort.”
A Charismatic Pastor replied, “None. The bulb doesn’t need to be changed. We should pray that it be healed.”
A Pentecostal Pastor said, “None. We simply need to cast out from the bulb the demon of darkness.”
The Fundamentalist Pastor stated, “None. We shouldn’t even enter the room because we need to keep ourselves separate from all darkness.”
A Baptist Pastor responded, “None. If we allow physical contact between a person and the bulb it might lead to dancing.”
The Wesleyan Minister replied, “None. If we just show the bulb its need, it already possesses the power to screw itself in.”
A Non-Denominational Pastor said, “None. We don’t want to make the bulb feel unwanted or uncomfortable.”

Hymns of the Lukewarm church:
"I Surrender Some"
"Take My Life and Let Me Be"
"Where He Leads Me, I will Consider Following"
"Just as I Pretend to Be"
"Above Average is Thy Faithfulness"
"By Thou My Hobby"
"Praise God from Whom All Affirmations Flow"
"Self-Esteem to the World! The Lord is Come"

A Sunday School teacher asked her little children, as they were on the way to church service, "And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?"
One bright little girl replied, "Because people are sleeping."

A Way of Behaving

2009-11-24T02:22:00.000-08:00

Love is not essentially a feeling or affection, but a way of behaving, and if it starts as a feeling, it must become more than a feeling if it is truly to be love. Love does something; it gives; that is how it establishes its identity. "By this we know love, that he [Jesus] laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or speech but in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:16-18). Again: "Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God... In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loves us, we also ought to love one another" (4:7, 10-11).

-J.I. Packer. Keep In Step With The Spirit. p 94.

Christ makes suffering purposeful

2009-11-16T07:59:00.001-08:00

Behold, God is my helper;
the Lord is the upholder of my life. (Psalm 54:4)

I continue to be in a place where I NEED God daily. I can do little but depend upon Him through-out the ache of my heart and the confusion of my life. O, what a sweet place to find myself.

My heart is in anguish within me…
But I call to God,
and the Lord will save me.
Evening and morning and at noon
I utter my complaint and moan,
and he hears my voice…
Cast your burden on the Lord,
and we will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved. (Psalm 55:4, 16, 22)

Praise the Lord that anguish may lead to the Lord’s provision and that in this season I have the blessing of learning purposeful suffering.

Fear God - not man

2009-11-15T23:03:00.000-08:00

Even as I sit in Oxford, Ohio I experience the weight of these dark and demonic words from India:

“[Christianity] is a problem and we will deal with it. We will get all Hindus together, the whole Hindu nation, and whoever stands against the rights of Hindu’s - we will finish them” – Hindu radical

“They want to eradicate the Christians of India. They want to turn this country into a Hindu nation. A goal that extreme Hindu leaders say is worth fighting for…. Hindus have fought for this nation and for their religious rights. India has always been, is, and forever will be a Hindu nation.”

“Conversions and Christianity missionaries are a threat to India” – Hindu radical

Even as I shake, God does not. He knows these men.

Their feet are swift to shed blood;

in their path are ruin and misery,

and the way of peace they have not know.

There is no fear of God before their eyes. (Romans 3:15-18)

I am hungrily amazed as our brothers and sisters in Christ who suffer this extreme persecution respond in Gospel-centered perseverance. God, in His grace, preserves them… resulting in praise and glory and honor today and at the revelation of Jesus Christ. They have not seen Him, yet they love Him. “We may have lost everything, but we will never turn our backs on Christ.” They do not now see Him, yet they believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory. “I still have joy and I’m thanking God despite my circumstances.”

These brothers and sisters have joined with Esther in saying, “If I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:16)

They have joined with Paul, who said, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)

So let us say with our Indian brothers and sisters “If we live, we’ll live for Christ. If we die, we’ll die for Christ. Whatever happens, we worship the Lord.” That is their cry, and they are our brothers and sisters. Let us join with them in joyful mourning and fervent prayer as we ask the Lord if we need to do more.

A footnote of God's story

2009-04-15T14:07:00.000-07:00

My own story is so real to me. Yet, it's really a footnote of God's story. A much larger, more beautiful story of God's entire creation being redeemed to Him.

Here's just one more footnote...

The Miami Quarterly BOLD Miami

I pray it can bring more glory to the real story, God's story.

As SIN REIGNED IN DEATH

2009-04-13T23:19:00.000-07:00

Almost three years ago...

April 30, 06

All day long I’ve needed an outlet … I wanted to run – to get outside and get away from everything, just to let go and feel my feet pound on the pavement. Or I wanted to drink, to take a few shots and feel it burn down my throat… It’s as if I don’t feel anything, I’m not really alive … I want to feel close to something… I need someone else… to make me feel wanted... That is what I crave; to be controlled. I want to be thrown down and pleased, to let go of every inhabitation, and to enjoy myself fully…. I feel satisfied, in control, amused, and entertained with my own ability to have so much fun in any way I please. It fulfills a certain void in me… yet, I’m starting to discover that I’m not in control of every situation… these insignificant acts do not give me any control. I think I need to get up tomorrow morning, and go… I need to stop… And I need to remember… I need to… ?

“Do you not know… you are SLAVES to the one whom you obey… of SIN, which leads to DEATH…” (Romans 6:16)

Four months later, the Lord saved my soul.

“But thanks be to God, that you who were once SLAVES OF SIN… having been set free from SIN, have become SLAVES of righteousness... For just as you once presented your members as SLAVES to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as SLAVES to righteousness leading to sanctification” (Romans 6:17-19)

“For the wages of SIN is DEATH, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Almost three years later I continue to be in awe of God's beautiful, irresistible grace!

A grace far from common

2009-02-09T16:09:00.000-08:00

I find weather so romantic and enchanting. Weather is obstinately outside of our control, and yet it has such command over us. Tonight as I sit on my porch in jeans and a light sweatshirt I can’t help but breathe in deeply and enjoy it. I’m not even sure what I’m enjoying. There’s a fragrance in the air that no man could ever create. There is a cool crispness that’s almost intoxicating. There’s a freshness that stirs up life as if it hadn’t been there before. There’s something about weather – even though everyone under the sky is touched by it – it feels as though an intimate moment between the Lord and me has been created. It makes me not want to go to sleep – least I wake-up and this spell is broken. What a majestic expression of the Lord that we oh-so commonly over look. I feel as though every breeze, every sent, every blade of grass, every light in the sky is filled with so much more grace and blessing than I could ever deserve. Ohh, that we call it “common grace” while there is nothing common about it. It is a majestic and scintillating grace that we experience every day. And yet He adds to it through grace upon the cross. That I might worship Him for eternity in a place far more beautiful than this is more than any mind can fathom. Every delightful thought I have upon the Lord is muck compared to the moment I first lay eyes on Christ Jesus when He calls me home. Ohh, His infinite grace.

Sitting alone at a two-person table in Starbucks

2008-10-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

I’m finding that busy schedules and long to-do lists are this generations new CRACK. How are you? “Stressed.” What’s new? “Same old, just super busy.” We’re type A people taking “busy” new a new level. We chug coffee and Red Bull. We stay-up late and get-up early. We don’t have time to talk, only to text. We know how to say “no” just as well as a drunken teenage girl does at 2am. We’re busier, more exhausted, sleeping less and more lonely and depressed running a race and climbing a ladder that we can’t find the end to.

And it’s not just nonbelievers doing it. Oh, we like to think so. Us Christians like to say that we don’t play the same games or run the same races. Or at least we don’t play by the same rules. But we’re buying in just as much and the stakes are HIGH. When Bible study becomes the next meeting and ministry becomes the next organization and when prayer gets tossed onto the to-do list we are going to find ourselves climbing the biblical ladder. Next, we’ll be electing the vice president of student body evangelism and the secretary of student council prayer.

However, our Biblical ladder looks a little different than typical student council elections or corporate ladders. We wear our cross pendants, WWJD bracelets, Jesus t-shirts, versus tattooed on our body in “appropriate” places, and we sport our ichthus car decals. We might not be passing out “vote for me” stickers, but we make sure others know we’re in the running for President of the Christian club. And just in case our efforts go unnoticed we stack-up on Steven Curtis Chapman, David Crowder Band, and Switchfoot CDs to play whenever our discipler is near. Our resume is our to-do list with special honors noted for leading multiple Bible studies or planning entire retreats. And most importantly, each disciplie that picks-up “(insert-name-here)-isms” provides a praise-worthy letter of recommendation.

As Election Day draws near we memorize our Bible verses and fill-out our Summer Project applications. While we ascend the ladder we’re tossing out KGPs with our left hand while straining upwards with our right. And when the votes are all in and we mount the top of the ladder we look around for the praise, for the glory… and for Jesus.

But you won’t find Jesus at the top. Jesus is back at the bottom of the ladder. “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) Jesus wasn’t reaching for the next rung while tossing out tracks as he climbed. No, he was laying his life down, knowing that God would exalt His name above all other names when the time came. And Jesus wasn’t chosen to be exalted because he passed out the most “vote for me” stickers, owned the most Christian CDs, had the holiest resume or the most reformed letters of recommendation. Jesus was exalted because he was, is, and always will be the precious Son of God.

You can pass out your stickers, decorate your posters, fill your resume and collect your letters of recommendation. But at the end of the day, at the end of your life you are one of two things. You are an enemy of God, separated by sin and depravity or you are a child of God, justified through Jesus’ death of the cross. There is no ladder and there is no election, just the elect whom God selects. Your Creator and Father in Heaven is the only one whose vote counts, and it counts for eternity. So forget the Biblical ladder and turn to the cross. The cross will define who you were, who you are, and who you will be.

Dancing close to sinners, Not sin

2008-09-25T15:00:00.000-07:00

These next 300-something words gave me new clarity and conviction about what it means to be a Christian dealing with sin in a broken world...

"Reformission is ultimately about being like Jesus, through his empowering grace. One of the underlying keys to reformission is knowing that neither the freedom of Christ nor our freedom in Christ is intended to permit us to dance as close to sin as possible without crossing the life. But both are intended to permit us to dance as close to sinners as possible by crossing the lines that unnecessarily separate the people God has found from those he is still seeking. To be a Christian, literally, is to be a "little Christ." It is imperative that Christians be like Jesus, by living freely within the culture as missionaries who are as faithful to the Father and his gospel as Jesus was in his own time and place.

I am advocating not sin but freedom. That freedom is denied by many traditions and theological systems because they fear that some people will use their freedom to sin against Christ. But rules, regulations, and the pursuit of outward morality are ultimately incapable of preventing sin. They can only, at best, rearrange the flesh and get people to stop drinking, smoking, and having sex, only to start being proud of their morality. Jesus' love for us and our love for him are, frankly, the only teachers that will keep us from abusing our freedom, yet they will enable us to venture as far into the culture and into relationships with lost people as Jesus did, because we go with him.

So reformission requires that God's people understand their mission with razor-sharp clarity. The mission is to be close to Jesus. This transforms our hearts to love what he loves, hate what he hates, and to pursue relationships with lost people in hopes of connecting with them and, subsequently, connecting them with him. This actually protects us from sin, because the way to avoid sin is not to avoid sinners but to stick close to Jesus."

-Mark Driscoll, The Radical Reformission (p 39-40)

Read it again, and then again - I know I will.

LOVE is the fulfilling of the law

2008-09-24T08:02:00.000-07:00

"For the commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,' and any commandment are summed up in this word: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." (Romans 13:9-10)

LOVE IS THE FULFILLING OF THE LAW

"So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits." (Matthew 7:17-20)

A tree will be recognized by its fruit, but you cannot bear good fruit unless you have a healthy tree. So if you focus on following all the laws, serving above-and-beyond, and answering all the right questions you will be the fool who fertilizes a dead and diseased tree hoping for it to flower. So why not take the focus off the fruits and pay attention to the health of the tree itself... nourish the tree and "every healthy tree bears good fruit". Stop trying to follow all the laws and hating the rules and restrictions it forces on your life and start loving others as yourself... and this will fulfill the law.

"Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires" (Romans 13:14)

Lord, thank you for your Word.

Progressive Sanctification

2008-09-18T23:59:00.000-07:00

"God doesn't want you to 'Christianize' your life, but to crucify your dreams, desires, ambitions... and to seek His" - Todd Ahrend, International Director, the Traveling Team

Therefore, we do not need 'Christinization' but Sanctification.

"Sanctification is a progressive work of God and man that makes us more and more free from sin and like Christ in our actual lives." - Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, p. 648

If our sanctification is progressive...

Progressive: (adj.) favoring or advocating progress, improvement, or reform; making progress toward better conditions; characterized by continuous improvement.

... Then why do we think we 'go backwards' or 'get in a rut' so often? Is it maybe that we just aren't patient enough to see God working in order to understand that we really are making progress towards better conditions. Or maybe our presuppositions about what 'progress' means are so muddled-up that we don't know up from down. Or maybe we're just so sinful we forget right from wrong.

Whichever it is, sanctification is a process... one that will not be completed within this life time so it's probably not something you should rush impatiently through.

Trust in the Lord's timing.

The Truth will set you free - an Absolute claim

2008-09-11T11:39:00.000-07:00

My eyes have been opened to several realities of culture as I have been reading Romero & Stewart’s “Women’s Untold Stories.” The text is written by a strongly opinionated group of women who meet together as part of a feminist movement. It is a compilation of their personal narratives and their implications. As I reflected upon one such story, I was frustrated by the agenda being pushed through the story-tellers and editors. They make no efforts to hide their resentment towards men, their self-pity as victims of sexism and racism, and their hopes to convict others that horrible social injustices are being commitment against women. The women involved seem to contribute to the problem at hand, making it difficult to separate the bias from the truth. As I should have expected, this comment wrought on the response of “Is there an absolute truth?” from a liberal, lesbian feminist.

“Is there an absolute truth?”

The joy of that question is that you can not answer it without claiming an absolute truth. Anyone who has ever had a thought consciously (or unconsciously) run through their brain even once in their lives holds that there is an absolute truth. And for anyone who is of the opinion that there is no absolute truth – they just made their absolute claim (about absolutely nothing), but there is still no way around it.

So, what’s so terrible and narrow-minded about there being an absolute truth? If one has to exist, and everyone has to believe in one, than why does our culture scream for rel-a-ti-vism!?

I could live my life believing that this life is all there is. I could live my life as if it’s all about loving me… but of course, it’s all about loving people. Culture loves that, doesn’t it? Let’s love others and cry for peace and all just get along. What does every beauty pageant queen want? World peace. So we run out and serve others, we donate to charities, we volunteer, we make friends and we become consumed with otherness. Has anyone ever donated to a charity because it made them feel good about themselves? Has anyone ever volunteered so that others could see them volunteering. Has anyone ever befriended someone because they themselves want friends and hate being lonely? We need to look at the motivation and thinking behind our actions; we need to understand behavior more deeply. We live to fill our needs, and saying we live to love others is the most socially acceptable and morally correct way of presenting it.

Coming full-circle, we all have baggage and personal bias but an absolute truth remains even if it is seen through our personal lens. We can all choose what “truth” we will live for. We can create our own “truth” or we can take from the “truths” others have created. I lived 19 years of my life creating my own “truth” from my peers, family members, the media, my education and life experiences. Let me digress, as this reminds of me an article from Newsweek titled “Why I Am Leaving Guyland.” Guyland is the movement away from traditional markers of manhood – leaving home, getting an education, finding a partner, starting work and becoming a father – and towards a whole new stage of life filled with debauchery, singleness, kidding, and carousing. Men in their twenties are progressively viewing grown-up life as such a loss and they are perhaps the first downwardly mobile and endlessly adolescent generation of men in U.S. history.

Guyland has become a reality through the television, movies, beer commercials, frat-tastic magazines and the media at large. However, some reasons probably hit closer to home, such as: broken families, increased co-habitation, growing divorce rates, a falling economy or financial debt. All of these influences create a “truth” to live for – which in this case is exhibited as Guyland. Unfortunately, these influences which can justify Guyland for some, don’t make it any more of a truthful reality or fulfilling purpose. Guyland is a fabricated truth that men in the twenties are finding themselves living in, and they are ended up more alone, depressed, and confused than ever. (Men between the ages of 16 and 26 have the highest suicide rate for any group except men above 70, they are less likely to read a newspaper, attend church, vote for president, or believe that people are basically trustworthy, helpful and fair)

People live in their fabricated truths all the time. We don’t notice it because most people’s “truths” conform to the culture they live it and any nonconformists are either diagnosed or shunned. However, after living most of my life thus-far self-creating truth I realized that I knew far too little to be responsible for such a feat. My eyes were opened to the reality that only a Creator of the universe, an omnipresent and omnipotent God could be the source and definer of truth.

Part of the significance of there being one absolute truth is that other “truths” are relative to that one absolute. If we claim an absolute truth, but then hold onto ideas, beliefs, and behaviors counter to the absolute truth we are nullifying our absolute claim. It is to say that there is one way and there are many ways at the same time. Both statements cannot be true.

Explained on another level, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24). To say you live for Jesus Christ and then to live for your lifestyle, your boyfriend, or your job is to live for nothing because each “absolute” becomes worthless once it shifts into a “relative”. Not only that, but this is a form of false worship and idolization, which is a sin against God. You cannot live for multiple truths because you will hate the one and love the others or be devoted to the one and despise the others.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6)

THE way

THE truth

THE life

An absolute cannot be treated as a relative, and a relative cannot be treated as an absolute. There IS one absolute truth and the purpose of my life will be for it, in pursuit of understanding it more beautifully, and taking more complete joy in it.

God loves you and created you to know Him personally.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16)
“And this is eternal life, that they know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3)

Man is sinful and separated from God, so we cannot know Him personally or experience His love.
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)
“The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23)

Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for man’s sin. Through Him alone we can know God personally and experience God’s love.
“God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8)
“Christ died for our sins… He was buried… He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…” (1 Corinthians 15:3-6)

We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know God personally and experience His love.
“As many as receive Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12)
“By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works that no one should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

When we receive Christ, we experience a new birth (John 3:1-8)

T
R
U
T
H

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32)

A case study of what He does

2008-09-02T00:27:00.000-07:00

I’ll never forget the nights the Lord changed my LIFE…

Almost two years ago I was overwhelmed as I walked into Campus Crusade for the FIRST time. My discipler practically had to hold my hand as I stood next to her and nervously smiled at all the new faces around me. My heart was racing the whole time – each worship song was REVOLUTIONARY to me! Like an enthralled little kiddie I wrote down the lyrics that had made my heart SKIP a beat.

“Your friendship, it is intimate.”

I danced the whole way home! I was so ELATED and I wanted EVERYONE to know!

"I want to serve you my Lord,
I want to give you everything"

I was crazily infatuated with Jesus and learning about His intimate friendship. It didn’t make any sense but I couldn’t keep the words in. I told my girl-friend that God had led me that night to meet with Him and worship Him in fellowship...

And her look was enough to
KILL.
It was like getting pummeled in the end zone in the middle of your victory dance.
I'd been totally deflated and I didn't know how to pick myself back up.

I WANTED to go back to Cru and keep singing those songs that made my heart race.
I WANTED to read my new Bible filled with endless scripture that I’d never heard before!
I WANTED to sing praises to Jesus…

But no one wanted to hear it. It was Halloween weekend - I had 5 minutes to change and I was hours behind on pregaming. I couldn’t stand shots and I shivered as they burned my throat. I tossed my Bible and grabbed my purse as I chased my friends down the hall and out the door. What a perfect night to be wearing a costume – little Dorthy and her glittery red heals. I tried to push morals and convictions from my mind.

Drinking and dancing… we took pictures… I smiled… and laughed…

I woke-up in my bed the next morning.
I don’t remember if I made it to my classes that day,
Or what I did the night before.

But I do remember reaching underneath my back, angry that something was lodged underneath me. I pulled out my slightly crumpled Bible and my heart HIT the floor. Ohh what a foolish hypocrite I had been!

“God made people good, but they have found all kinds of ways to be bad” (Ecc 7:14).

Remembering that night is enough to break my heart a thousand times and make me wish I had a thousand lives to surrender to Jesus. I learned from that night and I CONTINUE to learn how to surrender my life to honor God. I’m still learning to rejoice in the trials of dying to myself as I keep in mind: “When evil people are not punished right away, it makes others WANT to do evil, too. Though a sinner might do a hundred evil things and might live a long time, I know IT WILL BE better for those who honor God” (Ecc 8:11-12) Sanctification can feel like speeding down a highway blindfolded, crashing into things I never saw coming. But I’m far better-off blindfolded and trusting in Jesus than I am driving on my own.

“You yourself are a case study of what he does. At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him, giving him trouble every chance you got. But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God’s side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence. You don’t walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, carefully not to be distracted or diverted. There is no other message – just this one. Every creature under heaven gets this same Message.” (Colossians 1:21-23, The Message)

bibles and feminism

2008-08-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

I just finished ‘syllabus day’ and my head is spinning.

My Spanish professor announced that she will always, only, and without exception speak Spanish in the classroom from this day on. It was like a death sentence to gibberish and chronic headaches every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the next 18 weeks of my life. My ‘Critical Studies of the Bible’ professor spent an hour explaining that ‘Old Testament’, ‘New Testament’, ‘BC’, ‘AD’ and so-on are all ‘Christian terms’ which we will specifically NOT make use of in class. My beloved and sacred Bible has now become “bibles” and my Savior Jesus Christ has now become “the historical Jesus”. Oh Lord, I will need Your strength to lovingly make it through this class.

While attending ‘Stigmatization and Victimization’ (yes, that is a class), we discussed OTHERS’ stereotypes of blacks, whites, homosexuals, deaf people, and people in wheal chairs. It’s funny how it’s so easy to verbalize the stereotypes that other people hold, but we are so ashamed and secretive in the stereotypes we have bought-into ourselves. I’m excited to experience how this class will bring uneasy topics into the light and force us to reevaluate stigmas, prejudices, and stereotypes that we ourselves consciously or unconsciously endorse and that our culture endorses. I won’t be at all surprised if this class shocks me along the way… ohh Miami and its lack of diversity.

In gerontology – ‘The study of Aging’ I listened to a 51 year old feminine-sort-of-man discuss the importance of aging and how our misconceptions of the old are dangerous and in great need of change. The most interesting part of class was the last question on the ‘Student Information Sheet’ he asked us to fill out. It read “provide some words – adjectives – to describe favorite teachers or courses you’ve had in the past”. This question brought two thoughts to mind. I automatically respected the professor’s concern for doing his job well and catering to his students as best as possible. However, I hold that teachers should demand respect, which this question does not do. For instance, if every student wrote down that their favorite teachers all wore red leather pants and smoked cigarettes would the professor go out and buy a pair of red leather pants and a pack of cigarettes? No; a professor with self-confidence and self-respect would not aim to become ‘the role of our favorite teacher’; he would aim to be true to his own knowledge and opinions. Or, what if your boyfriend on the first date asked you “What are some words – adjectives – to describe favorite boyfriends or dates you’ve had in the past?” I doubt that relationship would last too long!

And last, but certainly not least offensive, ‘Psychology of Women’ taught by the Feminist of Feminists. Could it be possible to turn even the Olympics into an opinionated debate about women’s rights and feminism? Surely, in this class it was, and it will be. Although, in sympathy of feminism I can understand this point of view IF you do not know your creator and God. I could imagine that IF we were all just people who evolved from apes something as crazy as feminism doesn’t sound so extreme in comparison to the whole evolving from apes thing. Haha, I’ll stop there.

I’m making an assumption -- most students probably don’t walk out of class on the first day knowing that they will passionately disagree with most of what they learn from their professors. This puts me in an interesting position, for I am convinced that I will spend most of this semester mentally debating several of my professors. I don’t think I’m getting a bad education. I fully trust that my professors are educated and well equipped for the jobs they hold. I respect the years and hard work they have put into studying and earning the degrees which have qualified them to teach these classes. I do not, for a second, fool myself into thinking I would be capable of teaching these classes. But that does not prevent me from being convicted in my heart, mind, and soul that I have different foundation beliefs that will strongly contradict some of these classes (excluding Spanish, which will just confuse and frustrate me).

I praise the Lord that He has given me a mind to think for myself. I thank Him that He has shown me discernment along with passion to learn and understand. He faithful taught me this summer what it means to work under an authority, even a Christian authority, which I disagree with upon theology and doctrine. This semester will be a continuation of fighting for truth, submitting with respect to the authority over me, killing my pride, and thanking Jesus ever day for being the solid rock I stand upon. I know that I am getting the best possible education because Jesus is my number one teacher, and He is in control of all the others… yes, that is most defiantly the best possible education. I will enjoy praying for my professors as they drive me to depend more deeply and earnestly upon God, which ultimately makes me extremely thankful for them.

Everything happens for a reason?

2008-08-15T22:10:00.000-07:00

I could honestly spend a week studying Romans 8… and then do it all over-again.

I was eating dinner tonight with someone very dear to me, and we were talking about relationships which lead to marriage, and sadly but quite possibly divorce. He’s experienced divorce, and in a way so have I. But, the point is, we didn’t have answers to a lot of what we were talking about. He said to me, “well… everything happens for a reason,” and that was the end of our conversation.

“Everything happens for a reason – [Period].”

Everything… really?

What reason?

Who’s reason?

It’s like saying something really important while saying nothing at all.

It’s like making an absolute claim with no absolute – just ambiguity – absolute ambiguity.

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” – Romans 8:28

Ohhh… funny how we truly are a Christian culture. Yet God is denied and pushed out of our county in so many ways… but we won’t go there now.

Anyways, I’m re-opening the conversation – the one that was ended so abruptly with the statement “everything happens for a reason”. Is that statement true? True – what’s truth? Scripture is true [period].

We don't know that everything happens for a reason. But we do know [as truth] that “For those who love God all things work together for good”. So if man wants all things to happen for a (good) reason he must love God. But that’s not all Romans says… verse 28 continues… “For those who are called according to his purpose”. So it’s not longer that man must love God, it’s that God must first call man according to his purpose.

When we think of loving God we are disposed to begin with ourselves. However, Paul reminds us that those, whom he has spoken of as loving God, had been previously chosen by God. The order of this is made clear.

More simply, “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). God has freely loved us. Therefore, we also ought to love him (not everyone does). God’s love came first, and while we were still sinners He demonstrated it to us through Jesus Christ on the cross. God’s love is the foundation that gives us the ability to love. “For God so loved the world” (John 3:16). However, we are not dealing with an if-then statement of love (IF God loves man THEN man loves God) because God loved all men (the world) yet not all men love God.

Before sin everyone loved God (granted there were only two people & it didn’t last long *insert laughter*). However, once sin entered the world not everyone loved God. God still loves all, but not all men love God. God is still glorified, but not all men partake in God’s glory. God is the Alpha and the Omega and His glory will reign (Revelations 1:8), but not all men recognize Him.

God’s glory

God loved us (100%)

[sin]

God called us (x %)

We love God (x %)

All things work together for good

God’s glory

So why do all these foundations/conditions/deductions have to be discussed to understand the flippant comment “everything happens for a reason”? Because of the first and last lines “God’s glory”. Everything must be seen in light of God’s glory. Every man is exposed to evils, yet there is a great difference for men who love God. God trains and refines the faithful by afflictions, and thereby promotes their salvation. However, if a man has not been granted salvation, he can not be trained and refined by afflictions for the promotion of his salvation because he has no salvation! Afflictions avail, not to advance the salvation of anyone and everyone, but of those whom love God, whom God has previously loved.

[Foundation]

“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurances, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5) *** note that the audience is limited to believers (those with the Holy Spirit)

[Condition]

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4) ***note that the audience is limited to believers (my brothers)

[My Deduction]

Therefore, Brothers and Sisters in Christ (condition)…. YES, everything happens for a reason, a very good reason, GOD’S GLORY!

"I am what I am..."

2008-07-01T00:54:00.000-07:00

“I am what I am about these matters because I see them in the Bible. If I see 10,000 brilliant PhD’s saying one thing and the Bible saying another thing, the Bible gets my vote. That’s the way I’m going to be. And there’s a simple way of saying the reason for it, mainly, the Bible has lasted for 2,000 years plus and has stood against attack after attack after attack, and has made it from generation to generation, so that its vote is superior to 10,000 brilliant people who will be here today and gone tomorrow."
– John Piper, TULIP Sermon

Piper's heart for the Word of God amazes me at every hour of the day... and, although I have in no way obtained the depth of study or sanctification that Piper preaches from, I understand it far better then I can understand the superficial level of a disengaged believer. God is the main reality of the universe and is treated as a non-reality by so many. It is shocking how easily we ignore God. The Bible teaches us of our Creator and Redeemer, and yet so many believers do not care to study the scriptures.

Without God we LOVE sin - "For this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light..." (John 3:19-20). That is our nature; we are dark. We can NOT overcome that on our own. How many times have we heard "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8) - that verse makes us feel good, doesn't it?! I'm not going to say it shouldn't, but do we get the weight of it? It needs to make us tremble a little before we're able to fully rejoice in it. Jesus [the light] died for us while we LOVED the darkness and HATED the light because of our evil works. It is in our nature to hate the light, least it expose us.

How many times as Christians do we think that we wouldn't have eaten of the tree like Adam & Eve, wouldn't have abandoned Jesus like the disciples did, wouldn't have mocked Jesus like the crowds at his crucifixion... but ohhh how accurately we are represented in the Scriptures. How fallen me are; how weak our flesh is. "I am what I am about these matters because I see them in the Bible". God's Word is the one thing that is necessary, the good portion - what will fill us up. And it will never be taken from us (Luke 10:42). We should yearn for God's Word, we should feel it deep within our inner being.

We need to be shocked that God created a universe in which people are ignoring him - but we can't do that until we stop ignoring God ourselves. And if you're in the Word every day, and the Holy Spirit is inside of you, there is no way to ignore the Lord. If you let the Bible read you (not just you read the Bible, but the Bible read you) it will bring you into the light and show you that without it we will love only the dark. For "the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matt 26:41). Pick-up your Bible and walk in the spirit [light], not in your flesh [dark].

"The Bible gets my vote."

Let the FUN begin!

2008-05-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

I. Breakfast
Cheese Blintzes
Banana Bread

II. Appetizers

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

III. Sides
Sour Cream, Cheddar, and Green Onion Drop Biscuits

IV. Entrees
Chicken with Pancetta and Figs

V. Desserts

   Easy Chocolate Truffles
Peppermint Fudge
   Espresso Crinkles
     Raspberry Chocolate Cake

VI. Drinks
Mom's Egg Nog - HOLIDAY FAVE!

Chicken with Pancetta and Figs

2008-05-01T12:00:00.007-07:00

As my mom says, "DELICIOUS!"

Serves 4

Prep time: 20 minutes

Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes

3/4 teaspoon olive oil

cooking spray

1 cup vertically sliced onion

1 ounce pancetta, finely chopped *

1 pound button mushrooms

1 teaspoon brown sufar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 chicken thighs (about 2 1/4 pounds), skinned

1/4 cup tawny port

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 cup fat-free chicken broth

12 dried Calimyrna figs, quartered **

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

Fresh thyme springs (optional)

1 package basmati wild-rice mixture, cooked, substitute fat-free chicken broth for water

Heat the old in a 12-inch nonstick skillet coating with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion, pancetta, and mushrooms, saute 3 minutes. Remove from pan.

Combine sugar, salt, and pepper; sprinkle evenly over chicken. Add chicken to pan; cook over medium-high heat 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Add port and vinegar; cook 30 seconds, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add onion mixture and broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add figs; cover and simmer 5 minutes or until chicken is done (3 minutes without lid). Stir in parsley and chopped thyme. Reduce sauce by cooking on medium-high 2 minutes.

Calories 392 (26% from fat); Fat 11.5g (sat 3.2g); Protein 32.3g; Carb 42.3g; Fiber 8g

* If you can't find pancetta, substitute lean cooked bacon

** If fresh figs are available, stir them in just before serving, omitting the dried figs

Modified based upon Cooking Light September 2003

Peppermint Fudge

2008-05-01T12:00:00.006-07:00

This fudge is SUPER easy to make! (Errr..... as long as you have a food processor!)

Makes: 36
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min + chilling

nonstick spray, for the baking pan
2 1/4 cups (16 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup round peppermint candies, plus 18 for garnish
3/4 cup cream
3 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon coarse salt

Lightly coat a 9-inch square baking plan with nonstick spray. Place chocolate in a bowl. In a food processor, pulse candies until finely chopped. (If you don't have a food processor invite a friend over and get your hammer ready! Thanks for helping out Amber!) In a medium saucepan, combine candies, cream, marshmallows, butter, sugar, and salt over medium-high. Whisk until smooth, 5 minutes.

Pour mixture into bowl with chocolate; let stand 1 minute, then stir until smooth. Pour into baking pan and refrigerate until set, 3 hours. Cut fridge into 1 1/2 inch squares. (To store, cover and refrigerate, up to 1 week.) With a SHARP knife, cut 18 candies in half; press a candy into each square before serving or packing.

per piece: 165 cal; 7.2 g fat (4.4 g sat fat); 0.7 g protein; 26.8 g carb; 0.8 g fiber

Modified based upon The Food Network

Cheese Blintzes

2008-05-01T12:00:00.005-07:00

This is a 5 Star breakfast! It takes a little work, but it's worth it. Make it with your favorite berries, and don't forget a fresh pot of coffee!

Yield: 8 servings

Prep time:

Total time:

1 cup fat-free cottage cheese

4 ounces light cream cheese (about 1/2 cup)

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups skim milk

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

cooking spray

2 cups blueberries or other fresh berries

2 teaspoons powdered sugar

Place cottage cheese in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth, scraping sides of processor bowl once. Add cream cheese, sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, lemon juice, and a few lemon peals; process until smooth. Pour mixture into a bowl; cover and chill.

Place flour in a medium bowl. Combine milk, oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, salt, and eggs, and add to flour, stirring with a whisk until almost smooth. Cover and chill 2 hours.

Place a 10-inch crepe pan on nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Remove skillet from heat. Pour 3 tablespoons batter into pan; quickly tilt pan in all directions so batter covers skillet with a thin film. Cook about 1 minute.

Carefully lift edge of crepe with a spatula to test for doneness. The crepe is ready to turn when it can be shaken loose from the pan and the underside is lightly browned. Turn crepe over; cook 30 seconds on other side.

Place crepe on a towel; cool. Repeat procedure with remaining batter. Stack crepe between single sheets of wax paper on paper towels to prevent sticking.

Spoon 3 tablespoons cottage cheese mixture in center of each crepe; fold sides and ends of crepe over filling to fold a rectangle. Place filled crepes, seam sides down, on a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap. (Blintzes may be covered and chilled at this point).

Place a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat until hot. Place 4 blintzes, seam side down, in skillet; cook 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn blintzes over; cook for 2 minutes. Repeat procedure with remaining blintzes. Serve warm with blueberries, and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Modified from Cooking Light.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

2008-05-01T12:00:00.004-07:00

This is a GREAT dip to bring to a party or dinner! It puts most restaurants' Spinach Dip to shame, coming from a girl who has ordered Spinach Dip a few times by now. However, grab a friend for the kitchen because there's lot going on at once, and check your budget before your get your heart set on this one, the ingredients can add-up quickly.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Total time: 1 hour

2 (10 ounce) packages fresh spinach

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup chopped yellow onions

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

1 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 cup 1/2-inch cubes rindless Brie

1 cup grated Monterey Jack with Jalapeno

1 (6 1/2-ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

4 strips apple-wood smoked bacon, fried crisp, drained and chopped

1/4 cup grated Romano (or Parmesan)

Assorted chips for dipping (pita chips, tortilla chips, bagel chips)

Preheat the oven to 350*F. Lightly grease a 9-inch round chafing dish and set aside.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the spinach in batches and cook until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and refresh under cold running water. Squeeze the remove all excess water and chop. Set aside. In a medium pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, and cayenne, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, to make a light roux, about 2 minutes. Add the milk and heavy cream in a steady stream, and cook, stirring constantly, until think and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cooked spinach and lemon juice, and stir to incorporate. Add the cubed and grated cheeses, artichoke hearts, and bacon, and stir well. Remove from the heat and pour into prepared dish. Top with the Parmesan and bake until bubbly, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve hot with chips.

Modified based upon The Food Network.

Mom's Egg Nog

2008-05-01T12:00:00.003-07:00

For our family, Christmas time means Mom's Egg Nog! It's the perfect drink to sip besides the glowing fireplace or Christmas tree.

It's always gone before you know it...

15-20 servings

Prep time: 20 minutes

Total time: 4-5 hours

12 eggs

1 lb confectioners' sugar

2 cups brandy or Maker's Mark (bourbon)

2 cups apricot brandy

2 quarts half-and-half

1/4 cup sugar

fresh nutmeg

Separate the eggs and beat the egg yokes until light in color.

Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar.

Very slowly add first two cups of liquor, beating constantly.
Let mixture stand covered for 1 hour.
Add remaining liquor and half-and-half, beating constantly.

Refrigerate covered for 3 hours.

Beat the egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Gradually add sugar while beating egg whites.

Fold egg whites lightly into the other ingredients.

To serve sprinkle with freshly grated nutmeg.

Enjoy!

Modified based upon The Joy of Cooking